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Following is the transcript of remarks made by the Secretary for Food and Health, Dr York Chow, at a stand-up media session after officiating at the launching ceremony of the "Promotion of Traditional Chinese Medicine in China - Hong Kong Programme" today (November 24):
Reporter: What measures would the Government implement to assist Chinese medicine?
Secretary for Food and Health: As you know, traditional Chinese medicine is a primary care service for Hong Kong citizens. In the last few years and also for the coming two or three years, we will concentrate on opening up of more public clinics so that we should allow better access of the service by the Hong Kong citizens and also area for training and development of our Chinese medicine graduates. In the long run, I think we should also look at specialisation of Chinese medicine and also hospital in-patient services. At the moment, we have a few trial wards in the public hospitals where Chinese medical practitioners and also western doctors are practising side by side. I think there is still at an early stage. We like to encourage more of those bunch.
Reporter: (Medical services in Tin Shui Wai)
Secretary for Food and Health: At the moment, there is only one primary care clinic in Tin Shui Wai south area. Most of the citizens from the Tin Shui Wai north have to travel to Tin Shui Wai south in order to attend the clinic. In the short term, we like to facilitate those with chronic illnesses so that they can go to private doctors in Tin Shui Wai north to receive more frequent attention and consultations from those doctors. They also pay the same fee at $45 per consultation as the primary care clinic in Hospital Authority. In the longer term, we would like to have the clinic also extended to Tin Shui Wai north. For in-patient service, at the moment, most of the patients go to Tuen Mun Hospital and also Pok Oi Hospital. Pok Oi Hospital has been redeveloped so its increased capacity has also catered for residents of Tin Shui Wai as well. In the longer run, we feel that we have about 280,000 population within Tin Shui Wai, we will seriously consider whether there is a need for a community hospital to be developed in perhaps within the next ten years or so.
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript)
Ends/Saturday, November 24, 2007
Issued at HKT 16:47
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