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The Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food, Dr York Chow, today (April 7) visited a number of facilities under his portfolio in Wong Tai Sin District and listened to views and suggestions of the local community.
Accompanied by Wong Tai Sin District Officer, Mrs Teresa Wong, and Wong Tai Sin District Council Chairman, Mr Wong Kam-chi, Dr Chow called at the Tsz Wan Shan Integrated Family Service Centre where he was briefed on how a continuum of preventive, supportive and remedial services was provided to service users.
During the visit to the centre, Dr Chow took the opportunity to talk to the participants of an information technology training programme catered for new arrivals and single parents. He was glad to see that members of a Parent Child Programme had actively participated in activities that are designed to foster parent-child relationship.
The Government had never slackened in its commitment to caring for disadvantaged groups, Dr Chow said. An additional recurrent funding of $30 million has been allocated to launch a Family Support Programme in Integrated Family Service Centres/Integrated Services Centres, Family and Child Protective Services Units and Psychiatric Medical Social Services Units.
"We have allocated additional resources to strengthen and extend family education to promote the value, ethics and individual responsibility needed for family harmony," he added.
Dr Chow inspected two modality rear lanes in Fung Wong San Tsuen, whose hygienic conditions were much improved under the ambit of Team Clean. The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department also introduced to Dr Chow the measures to improve public hygiene and combat mosquitoes.
He visited the Chi Lin Care and Attention Home to see the facilities and services and warmly chatted with the elderly residents there. He learned that Chi Lin was the only care and attention home in Hong Kong that had adopted the automated monitor dosage system in dispensing.
He joined a discussion session with Wong Tai Sin District Council members. Various matters related to the district's health, welfare, food safety and environmental hygiene were put on the agenda.
Ends/Friday, April 7, 2006
Issued at HKT 17:32
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