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The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:
The Hospital Authority (HA) welcomed the Report of the Steering Committee on Review of Hospital Authority announced by the Government today (July 14) and will follow up on the recommendations of the Report. A Special Task Force was set up under the HA Board to steer and submit the overall Action Plan to the Government in October this year and drive for the implementation of the recommendations in the coming three years.
The HA Chairman, Professor John Leong, in responding to the Report, said that it is about time for the HA to undergo a comprehensive review given that it has been running for over 20 years. It is also normal for any major corporation like the HA to go through this process as part of its gradual development. This shall enable the HA to consolidate and crystallise its experience to form a firm foundation for future development, he said.
"We fully understand the increasing expectations of the general public towards public hospital services alongside the development of society. In spite of the challenges and difficulties, the HA will strive to progress with time in the development of services to meet people's needs.
"In recent years the HA has been facing the daunting challenge of manpower constraints, ageing population and growing demand. It has inevitably created an impact on the quality of public healthcare services. We will stay closely with the pulse of people's concerns and expectations of public healthcare services with a view to continuously improving service quality," said Professor Leong.
He was also glad to note that the significant role of the HA in providing reliable and quality services in the healthcare system was well recognised by the Steering Committee in the introductory remarks of the Report.
"I would like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt gratitude to the front-line hospital staff for their dedication and contributions over years. This is exemplified in their professionalism and endurance in serving the community under immense pressure and increasing workload. The HA will keep in close communication with staff members in the implementation of the recommendations, such as organising staff forums, to achieve a common goal for the management and the front line in the development of public healthcare services to meet the needs and expectations of the community," Professor Leong added.
Also responding to the Report's recommendations, the HA Chief Executive, Dr Leung Pak-yin, concurred that the co-ordination role of the HA Head Office should be strengthened. Extra efforts will also be made to further enhance the recruitment and training of staff to help alleviate the workload and pressure of the front line.
Dr Leung said, "The HA will continue to explore and launch more Public-Private Partnership (PPP) programmes, in addition to the further extension in phases of the General Outpatient Clinic PPP Programme to all 18 districts of Hong Kong with the optimal use of the annual investment return from the $10 billion endowment fund allocated by the Financial Secretary earlier this year.
"On the service operation aspect, the HA is aware of the concern about the long waiting time in specialist outpatient clinics and Accident and Emergency services. A series of improvement initiatives have already been introduced over the past two years to address the waiting time issue in specialist clinics, including posting of waiting time on the HA website and launching of cross-cluster referrals. The HA will continue to devote additional manpower and resources to further enhance staff training and cluster services in the years ahead."
Ends/Tuesday, July 14, 2015
Issued at HKT 20:02
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