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Following is a question by the Dr Hon Joseph Lee and a written reply by the Secretary for Food and Health, Dr Ko Wing-man, in the Legislative Council today (April 24):
Question:
Some members of the public have relayed to me that with changes in society, public demand for primary health care and medical services (in particular services of Maternal and Child Care Centres and dermatological specialist out-patient services) provided by the clinics and health centres under the Department of Health (clinics and health centres) is growing day by day, and the manpower requirement for nursing staff providing such services has also been rising. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the number of person-times receiving various services in clinics and health centres last year, the average waiting time for first appointments and the establishment of nursing staff at present, with a breakdown by clinic and health centre;
(b) of the factors taken into account by the authorities in setting up clinics and health centres, and whether the adequacy of nursing staff has been assessed; if so, of the criteria for calculating the manpower requirement for nursing staff; if not, the reasons for that;
(c) given that some members of the public have relayed that their demand for the services provided by clinics and health centres is keen but the waiting time is very long, whether the authorities have regularly assessed if there is sufficient manpower of nursing staff for various services in clinics and health centres; if they have, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(d) given the changing demographic structure (e.g. ageing population, and children born in Hong Kong to Mainland women whose spouses are not Hong Kong permanent residents coming to reside in Hong Kong), there is an increasing demand for primary health care and medical services (including various services provided by the Department of Health), whether the authorities have a comprehensive plan to increase the number of clinics and health centres so as to meet the demand; if they have, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
(a) The Department of Health (DH) provides preventive healthcare services to different age groups mainly through its Clinical Genetic Service, Family Health Service, Student Health Service, School Dental Care Service and Elderly Health Service. Specialised outpatient clinics under DH also provides curative services to patients with tuberculosis (TB) and chest diseases, skin diseases or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Moreover, Child Assessment Service is provided to children with developmental problems. The attendances for these services, the waiting time of new cases, as well as the nursing manpower in various units in 2012 are set out at Annex.
(b) and (c) The Government will introduce healthcare policies and services in the light of the needs of the overall population and individual districts. If there is increasing public demand for health services, DH will ensure the standard and quality of its service by re-engineering work procedures, enhancing efficiency and staff deployment.
Given variations in the area, nature and complexity of work in respect of nurses serving in different units under DH, nursing manpower is arranged according to the actual circumstances and needs of individual services. For instance, DH will deploy more nurses to clinics with higher service volume and demand. Besides, DH will conduct regular reviews on the service delivery models, service demand and waiting time so as to arrange staff deployment accordingly. Recruitment of nurses will also be conducted where necessary to fill up vacancies arising from the provision of new services.
(d) Having regard to an ageing population and the increasing demand for healthcare services, the Government has mapped out a long-term primary care development strategy and implemented a number of measures and pilot projects in the past few years. These include the development of conceptual models and reference frameworks in primary care settings for common chronic illnesses and age-specific groups, development and promotion of the Primary Care Directory, and devising feasible models for service delivery such as establishment of community health centres.
As regards health services for the elderly, in addition to elderly health centres of DH, there are various primary care service providers in the community including the Hospital Authority, non-governmental organisations, private doctors and other private healthcare service providers. The Government also implements, in collaboration with the private sector, the following specific projects for the elderly:
(i) launched on a pilot basis in January 2009, the Elderly Health Care Voucher Scheme provides the elderly with subsidy for using private primary care services. To further enhance the Scheme, the voucher amount has been increased and the Scheme will be converted from a pilot project into a recurrent support programme for the elderly in 2014;
(ii) the Elderly Vaccination Subsidy Scheme launched in October 2009 subsidises Hong Kong elders aged 65 or above in receiving seasonal influenza and pneumococcal vaccination;
(iii) launched in April 2011 in collaboration with NGOs, the Pilot Project on Outreach Primary Dental Care Services for the Elderly in Residential Care Homes (RCHEs) and Day Care Centres (DEs) provides primary dental care to elders in RCHEs or DEs through outreach services; and
(iv) the Elderly Health Assessment Pilot Programme to be launched in collaboration with NGOs aims at promoting preventive care for elders and encouraging provision of such services in the community. The Programme is expected to be launched in mid-2013.
In view of the increase in public demand for obstetric and child health services in recent years, DH expanded the Fanling Maternal and Child Health Centre (MCHC) in 2012. A new MCHC is also planned to be opened in mid-2013 in the newly constructed Joint-user Complex at Bailey Street, Hung Hom.
Ends/Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Issued at HKT 13:12
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