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LC: Medical & Health Care (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 2001

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Following is a speech by the Secretary for Health and Welfare, Dr E K Yeoh, in moving the second reading of the Medical and Health Care (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 2001 today(June 13):

Madam President,

I move the Second Reading of the Medical and Health Care (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 2001. The Bill aims at improving the following six health-related Ordinances :-

(a) Dentists Registration Ordinance;

(b) Midwives Registration Ordinance;

(c) Nurses Registration Ordinance;

(d) Hospitals, Nursing Homes and Maternity Homes Registration Ordinance;

(e) Radiation Ordinance; and

(f) Chinese Medicine Ordinance.

These Ordinances provide for the establishment of regulatory schemes to regulate the practice of various health care professionals and institutions through a system of registration and disciplinary control, and to control the handling and trading of irradiating apparatus and radioactive substances.

We propose to improve the above Ordinances by removing some out-dated provisions, clarifying some existing ambiguities and rectifying some textual errors. The Bill will also enhance the consistency among the relevant ordinances. The more significant amendments are :-

(a) Amending the Dentists Registration Ordinance to provide that the Dental Council of Hong Kong may recognise certain local dental education programmes for exemption from its licensing examination by prescribing them in a new schedule;

(b) Amending the Nurses Registration Ordinance to provide that the result of an election of members to the Nursing Council of Hong Kong may be questioned by an election petition and to authorise the Council to make regulations in relation to the election petition;

(c) Amending the Hospitals, Nursing Homes and Maternity Homes Registration Ordinance to enable different registration fees to be imposed on different private hospitals, nursing homes and maternity homes, having regard to their capacity;

(d) Amending the Radiation Ordinance to enable the Radiation Board to transact its business by circulation of papers among all its members without meetings; and

(e) Amending the Chinese Medicine Ordinance to clarify that the Practitioners Board of the Chinese Medicine Council of Hong Kong may conduct an inquiry into a complaint against a Chinese medicine practitioner and discipline him on the same occasion.

The amendments proposed in the Bill are necessary for the smooth operation of the regulatory schemes concerned. I commend the Bill to Members for their favourable consideration.

Thank you, Madam President.

END/Wednesday, June 13, 2001

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