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Following is a question by the Hon Kwok Ka-ki and a written reply by the Secretary for Food and Health, Dr York Chow, in the Legislative Council today (November 28):
Question:
Will the Government inform this Council whether it knows the following information concerning the Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital, Ruttonjee Hospital, Queen Mary Hospital, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, United Christian Hospital, Tseung Kwan O Hospital, Yan Chai Hospital, Caritas Medical Centre, Princess Margaret Hospital, Kwong Wah Hospital, Prince of Wales Hospital, North District Hospital, Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital, Pok Oi Hospital and Tuen Mun Hospital.
(a) the annual attendances of the clinical departments in each of the past five years as set out in Annex I; and
(b) the staff establishment of the clinical departments in each of the past five years and their present strength as set out in Annex II.
Reply:
Madam President,
(a) The attendances of clinical departments of the relevant hospitals under the Hospital Authority (HA) in each of the past five years are set out in Annex III.
As regards outreach service, the HA has set up under the medicine departments Community Geriatric Assessment Teams (CGATs), which comprises geriatricians, nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and social workers to provide elders living in residential care homes for the elderly (RCHEs) with outreach medical consultations and referral service of specialist consultations. In addition, starting from 2003-04, the HA has also appointed private medical practitioners as Visiting Medical Officers (VMOs) to provide medical consultation for RCHEs residents with stable chronic illness and sudden onset of minor and sub-acute disease. The VMOs also provide follow-up consultations for discharged RCHE residents as referred by CGATs, and assist in monitoring the health conditions of RCHE residents during outbreaks of infectious disease.
(b) The staff establishment of relevant clinical departments of hospitals in each of the past five years and their present strength are set out at Annex IV.
Ends/Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Issued at HKT 13:14
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