Replies to LegCo questions
LCQ16: Public primary care services
Following is a question by the Hon Frederick Fung and a written reply by the
Secretary for Food and Health, Dr Ko Wing-man, in the Legislative Council today
(July 6):
Question:
It is mentioned in the Budget of this year that "at the district level,
community health centres will be set up in Mong Kok, Shek Kip Mei and North
District. Additional services for 410 000 attendances will be provided at the
general outpatient clinics each year". In this connection, will the Government
inform this Council:
(1) whether the authorities conducted any review in the past five years on the
effectiveness and usage of community health centres; if they did, of the
results; if not, the reasons for that; and
(2) of the criteria adopted for making the decision to set up community health
centres in the aforesaid three districts; the detailed plans (including the
exact locations, the timetable from the planning to the completion and
commissioning of those centres, as well as the anticipated service capability)
regarding the setting up of community health centres and general outpatient
clinics in the three districts?
Reply:
President,
My reply to the question raised by the Hon Frederick Fung is as follows:
(1) At present, the Hospital Authority (HA) has set up community health centres
(CHCs) in Tin Shui Wai North, North Lantau and Kwun Tong. The CHC in Tin Shui
Wai North, the first of its kind based on the primary care development strategy
and service model, was commissioned in mid-2012 to provide integrated and
comprehensive primary care services including chronic disease management and
patient empowerment programme. North Lantau CHC and Kwun Tong CHC commenced
service in September 2013 and March 2015 respectively.
Similar to other public general out-patient clinics, patients under the care of
the CHCs mainly comprise two categories: chronic disease patients with stable
medical conditions (such as patients with diabetes mellitus or hypertension) and
episodic disease patients with relatively mild symptoms (such as those suffering
from influenza, cold, fever or gastroenteritis). Multi-disciplinary service
programmes are implemented in the CHCs, including the Risk Factor Assessment and
Management Programme, Nurse and Allied Health Clinics and the Patient
Empowerment Programme. The evaluation studies conducted by the University of
Hong Kong and the Chinese University of Hong Kong show that patients
participating in these programmes have better clinical outcomes and a higher
level of satisfaction towards the services.
(2) In planning for the provision of public primary care services, we take into
account a number of factors, including primary care service delivery model,
demographic changes, distribution of target groups, provision of primary care
services in the district and the demand for public primary care services. Having
considered the distribution of target groups and the future population growth in
the relevant districts, the Government plans to develop CHCs on the ex-Mong Kok
Market site, under the redevelopment of Shek Kip Mei Estate Phase 6 and at Pak
Wo Road, Sheung Shui (i.e. the former site of Sheung Shui Shek Wu Hui
Fertilizers & Rice Dealers Association Public School, next to Tai Ping Estate),
with a view to providing additional services for 410 000 attendances each year.
As the projects are at the initial planning stage, target timelines for service
commencement are subject to detailed planning and design. HA will work out the
detailed operational arrangements at a later stage when the commissioning plans
are available. We will consult the District Councils and the local community in
due course.
Ends/Wednesday, July 6, 2016
Issued at HKT 12:37
NNNN