************************
Following is a question by the Hon Leung Kwok-hung and a written reply by the Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food, Dr York Chow, in the Legislative Council today (March 7):
Question:
With regard to the support provided for patients with glaucoma, will the Government inform this Council of:
(a) the existing number of patients with glaucoma;
(b) the respective numbers of patients diagnosed with glaucoma, diagnosed with glaucoma and cataract at the same time, and those who turned blind as a result of glaucoma-induced disorders in each of the past five years, with a breakdown by gender, age and district of residence;
(c) the medical, financial and daily living support currently provided by the Government and the Hospital Authority for patients with glaucoma, whether more proactive types of support such as psychological counselling, low-vision training and medical subsidy will be provided to such patients; and
(d) the respective amounts of funds spent by the Government and the Hospital Authority on the prevention, early diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma in each of the past three years, as well as the details of the work in this regard?
Reply
Madam President,
(a) & (b) According to the data provided by the Department of Health (DH), the numbers of glaucoma-related in-patient admissions between 2001 and 2005 are shown in the Table.
According to the statistics last compiled by the Hospital Authority (HA) in 2001 on visual impairment cases in public hospitals, there were a total of 92 cases in which glaucoma patients lost their eyesight permanently, accounting for 23% of the total number of permanent blindness cases. The HA does not maintain a breakdown of the glaucoma-induced cases by patients' gender, age and district of residence.
(c) Regarding the provision of medical support, the HA regards all new glaucoma cases as urgent cases and will arrange for the patients to be examined and treated as early as possible. The HA will also regularly follow up on patients in initial stage of glaucoma and with minor visual impairment in order to monitor their eye pressure, eyesight and vision. Generally speaking, the majority of glaucoma patients are able to keep their eye pressure in check with long-term use of eye-drops. Where the treatment is found to be ineffective, the HA will arrange laser or glaucoma surgery for the patients as appropriate.
As for financial assistance, Hong Kong residents who are severely disabled (e.g. total loss of eyesight) may apply for Disability Allowance under the Social Security Allowance Scheme to meet their special needs arising from disability. The Disability Allowance is non-contributory and non-means tested. Patients who have financial difficulty in paying the medical charges of public hospitals or clinics may apply for medical waivers from the HA.
Regarding support and care for their daily living, the Social Welfare Department provides rehabilitation services for persons with glaucoma-induced visual impairment and helps them rebuild their capacity to lead an independent life, regain their confidence, reintegrate into society and achieve self-reliance. Services on this front include the setting up of parents/relatives resource centre and the provision of occupational rehabilitation and psychological counselling.
(d) Since glaucoma is a disease more commonly found among elders, the DH's Visiting Health Teams provide health education on common eye diseases of the elderly and eye care for elders and their carers. The activities aim to achieve eye disease prevention through the promotion of eye care among elders and their carers by enhancing their awareness. The DH also introduces to them the warning signs of various eye diseases to heighten their alertness to any early symptoms so as to facilitate prompt identification and medical intervention. In 2006, the Visiting Health Teams delivered more than 140 health talks on common eye diseases of the elderly and proper eye care for the elders, with a total of some 5,000 attendances. The costs of the above activities have been absorbed by the existing resources of the Elderly Health Services under the DH and hence cannot be separately identified. Likewise, as many of the glaucoma patients may also have other health problems, the medical costs for the treatment of glaucoma cannot be separately identified.
Ends/Wednesday, March 7, 2007
Issued at HKT 12:37
NNNN
