Replies to LegCo questions

LEGCO QUESTION NO.7 (Written Reply)

Asked by:	Hon David CHU	Date of meeting :	12 May 1999
		Replied by :		Secretary for Health and Welfare

Question:

It is reported that one in every five senior citizens suffers from eye diseases. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council of :

(a) the existing average waiting time between a senior citizen’s first treatment on eye diseases in a public hospital or a Health Department clinic and his/her admission to hospital for ophthalmic operation or treatment;

(b) the policy and measures in place to shorten the above-mentioned waiting time; and

Reply:

Madam President,

(a) The general outpatient clinics under the Department of Health (DH) provide treatment on general eye diseases, and will, when necessary, refer patients to the ophthalmology departments of the Hospital Authority’s (HA’s) specialist outpatient clinics for further treatment. In March 1999, the average waiting time for first attendance for ophthalmic services at HA’s specialist outpatient clinics is 15 weeks. These clinics have implemented a triage system to assess the conditions of patients referred to the clinics, and patients with urgent or emergent eye problems will be accorded priority treatment or operation. Patients suffering from eye diseases requiring elective operations will have to await their turn. Cataract is a common non-acute eye disease among the elderly. In March 1999, the average waiting time for cataract operation is about 11 months.

(b) HA is all along well aware of the community’s increasing need for ophthalmic services. It will open 40 inpatient beds and two additional operating theatres in the Hong Kong Eye Hospital in mid 1999 and a new eye specialist outpatient clinic in Tseung Kwan O Hospital in end 1999. In addition to these, HA has implemented various improvement measures, including internal deployment of resources and manpower, commencement of evening operating sessions and streamlining of workflow, in order to efficiently deal with more patients requiring treatment. We hope that these measures can help to shorten the waiting time for first attendance for ophthalmic services at specialist outpatient clinics and for cataract operations.

(c) At present, public primary and specialist eye care services are provided by DH and HA respectively. In 1999-2000, DH will increase the number of elderly health centres from 12 to 18. These centres provide for the elderly comprehensive primary health care services, including eye examinations and visual tests, and will refer patients to HA for further treatment when necessary. For specialist eye care services, HA plans to meet the continuous increase in demand through the following measures -

(i) To train more eye specialists to ensure that sufficient eye specialists are available for providing quality eye care services;

(ii) To provide training in ophthalmology for Family Medicine trainees to empower family practitioners to provide better eye care for patients;

(iii) To plan for expansion of facilities for ophthalmic services in areas of rising demand, e.g. the New Territories;

(iv) To collaborate with primary care doctors to ensure provision of proper ophthalmic care for patients before and after referral to eye specialists; and

(v) To collaborate with other health care providers and the community in educating the public on proper eye care.