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The Department of Health will implement the first phase of the Government's five-day week initiative on July 1. There will be little impact on the public.
A department spokesman stressed that emergency and essential services in the department would continue to be provided on Saturdays.
The services involved in Phase 1 are mainly back offices, offices offering professional services and health information, and centres/clinics providing health care services to specific client groups by referral, enrolment or appointment systems. These include:
* offices with no direct service to the general public, including three Families Clinics serving civil servants, pensioners and their eligible dependants;
* some of the units focused mainly on professional services or provision of health information, such as the Central Health Education Unit, Oral Health Education Unit and Radiation Health Unit;
* some of the centres providing health care services to specific groups by referral, enrolment or appointment systems, including child assessment, student and elderly health services, clinical genetic services and the Port Health Travel Health Centre in Wan Chai.
The spokesman said the level of services provided by the department would not be affected by the scheme. The opening hours on weekdays will be extended and a number of measures will be taken to cater for customers' needs. For example:
* travel health information will be provided through the website (http://www.travelhealth.gov.hk) ;
* a full range of services will be offered on Saturdays in the Kowloon Port Health Travel Health Centre in Cheung Sha Wan;
* all our Child Assessment Centres will operate one morning session on the first non-Public Holiday Saturday of each month to cater for the needs of clients; and
* the existing shuttle bus service from/to schools will be rescheduled according to the new opening hours to make it more convenient for students visiting the Student Health Service.
The spokesman added that other public services provided by DH including emergency and essential services would not shift to the new work pattern from July 1. These include:
* Maternal and Child Health Centres;
* Chest Clinics;
* Public health laboratory services provided to hospitals/clinics;
* Monitored treatment service for tuberculosis patients;
* Methadone clinics;
* Medical services provided in correctional institutions;
* Port Health Office at immigration control points;
* Public Mortuaries; and
* Cremation Permit Offices.
"The department will closely monitor the operation of the five-day week scheme and fine-tune the measures as necessary. Arrangement for the second and third phases will be announced in due course," the spokesman said.
For details of the department's five-day week arrangements and new service hours, visit the department's homepage http://www.info.gov.hk/dh or Government website http://www.info.gov.hk/info/5day/. For enquiries, call 2961 8989, fax 2836 0071, email enquiries@dh.gov.hk or call the 24-hour 1823 Citizen's Easy Link.
Ends/Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Issued at HKT 16:02
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