Press Releases
Government committed to provide quality obstetric services for locals in public hospitals
In response to media reports on the public's concern about the obstetric
services in public hospitals, a spokesman for the Health, Welfare and Food
Bureau issued the following statement today (November 20) :
Public hospitals will provide local expectant mothers with the necessary
obstetric services under all circumstances. Local pregnant mothers should not
worry about denial of access to such services in public hospitals at the time of
delivery.
The Government will continue to closely monitor the use of obstetric services in
public hospitals by non-eligible persons (NEPs). Relevant measures under
consideration by the Government and the Hospital Authority (HA) include:
tightening the requirement for NEP pregnant women to pay an admission deposit;
strengthening of fee collection procedures for all medical fees to be paid
before discharge; and examining the need to further increase hospital charges
for NEP pregnant women. Such measures can hopefully be made public by the end of
this year.
Public hospital services are mainly provided for local residents (i.e. eligible
persons). To ensure rational allocation of our social resources and reduce the
use of heavily subsidised medical services in public hospitals by NEPs, the HA
has already introduced an Obstetric Package Charge of $20,000 for NEPs in
September last year.
Since the introduction of the new charge, the number of NEP pregnant women who
gave births in public hospitals in Hong Kong has decreased. Between January and
September 2006, there were 8 388 NEP women who gave births in public hospitals,
which represented a decrease of about 20% from 10 478 similar cases in the same
period of 2005. However, with an increase in the number of local pregnant women
giving births in public hospitals, HA hospitals handled 28 830 child birth cases
between January and September 2006, which was only about 4% lower than the same
period in 2005 when there were 30 126 cases.
In the light of pressing demand for obstetric services by the local public and
NEPs, the HA has already taken a number of relief measures with a view to
lightening the work pressure of frontline healthcare staff. These include:
increasing the number of training places for midwifery; recruiting more doctors
to receive specialist training in obstetrics and gynaecology (O&G) ; filling
vacancies in O&G specialist posts as soon as possible; and improving
arrangements for shift duties of nurses through more flexible human resources
management practices.
The $20,000 Obstetric Package Charge for NEPs charged by public hospitals covers
delivery and maintenance fees in a public ward for the first three days of
hospitalisation (i.e. a two-night stay). If NEP mothers stay more than three
days in hospitals, the extra days will be charged at the current daily flat rate
(i.e. $3,300 per day). NEPs are currently required to pay a deposit of $33,000
before being admitted to public hospitals.
NEPs is defined as persons who are not holding an Hong Kong Identity Card, or
children under 11 years of ago who are not Hong Kong residents.
Ends/Monday, November 20, 2006
Issued at HKT 20:46
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