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Following is a question by the Dr Hon Kwok Ka-ki and a written reply by the Secretary for Food and Health, Dr Ko Wing-man, in the Legislative Council today (March 2):
Question:
The Chief Executive has stated in this year's Policy Address that a hospital development plan will be launched in the coming decade (i.e. from this year to 2026) for the increase of some 5 000 public hospital beds and over 90 operating theatres. On the other hand, according to the Planning Department's Hong Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines (HKPSG), which was revised in October last year, a provision of 5.5 beds (including various types of hospital beds both in public and private sectors) per 1 000 persons should be the aim of long-term planning (standard for the provision of hospital beds). However, according to government information, the number of general beds per 1 000 geographical population of catchment districts by various hospital clusters in 2021 will be 3.1 only. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) whether the authorities have adhered to the standard for the provision of hospital beds specified in HKPSG when planning for the provision of various types of hospital beds in public and private sectors in the coming decade;
(2) whether the authorities have determined the number of additional public hospital beds (i.e. some 5 000) to be provided in the coming decade according to a certain ratio of beds to population; if so, of such a ratio; if not, of the criteria adopted by the authorities for determining the number of hospital beds;
(3) given that the Chief Executive of the Hospital Authority (HA) indicated in May 2014 that HA needed to provide an extra 8 800 public hospital beds by 2031 to meet the additional demand for healthcare arising from the ageing population, and that there will still be a lack of about 3 800 beds by 2026 even if the aforesaid hospital development plan to increase some 5 000 additional public hospital beds is successfully implemented, of the means to be employed by the authorities to make up that shortfall during the five-year period between 2026 and 2031; and
(4) whether the authorities have simultaneously planned for the allocation of additional resources to HA for recruiting extra healthcare staff when planning for the provision of some 5 000 additional public hospital beds?
Reply:
President,
To cater for the growing healthcare demand arising from ageing population and to improve existing services, the Government has worked with the Hospital Authority (HA) to devise a 10-year hospital development plan. The Government will provide resources to support the plan and use $200 billion to implement various hospital projects under it in the next 10 years.
In the course of planning hospital services, healthcare manpower and hospital beds, the HA has taken into account a number of factors including the projected demand for healthcare services having regard to population growth and demographic changes in the district, possible changes in healthcare service utilisation pattern, organisation of services of the clusters and hospitals, as well as cross-cluster utilisation of services, etc. Since the needs for public healthcare as reflected by the demographic characteristics and economic status of the population in each cluster are different, the level and scope of services, facilities and expertise available in individual clusters vary.
The HA will continue to regularly monitor and review the utilisation rate and demand trend of each healthcare service so as to project the demand for various healthcare services and plan for the provision of services. The HA will also continue enhancing the service capacity, undertaking hospital development projects and implementing other suitable measures to ensure that public healthcare services can meet the public needs.
My reply to the various parts of the question raised by Dr Hon Kwok Ka-ki is as follows:
(1) and (2) Chapter 3 of the Hong Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines (HKPSG), entitled "Community Facilities", stipulates the standards of provision for medical and health facilities. In general, healthcare services are provided on regional basis. For all types of hospital beds in public and private hospitals, the long-term planning target is to provide 5.5 beds per 1 000 persons. This ratio can be applied with flexibility to meet the needs of different districts in a region.
The HA will take into account various factors when planning and developing the public healthcare services and facilities. Such factors include the healthcare services estimates based on population growth and demographic change, distribution of service target groups, mode of healthcare services delivery, growth of services of individual specialties, supply of healthcare services in the district concerned etc. Taking into account the above factors and based on the estimated demand of each district, the HA is planning a number of development projects, which involve the expansion of existing hospitals and the construction of new hospitals, with a view to enhancing inpatient, ambulatory care and various outpatient services. Such projects include, among others, those projects under the 10-year hospital development plan mentioned in the Policy Address this year.
Moreover, to facilitate private hospital development, the Government awarded a site at Wong Chuk Hang through open tender in March 2013 for developing a new private hospital. The new hospital is expected to come into service in 2017. The Government will also provide a loan of $4 billion for the Chinese University of Hong Kong for developing a non-profit-making private hospital.
Apart from taking reference of the long-term planning targets set out in the HKPSG, the HA also considers various factors, such as the demand for healthcare services in each district, the conditions of current facilities and the space available for development in different hospitals etc, when planning the development of public hospitals and the number of beds to be added. Having regard to the advancement in medical technology, population ageing and increased prevalence in chronic diseases, the HA is proactively promoting ambulatory services to meet the needs of patients. For example, with the use of minimally invasive technology, patients do not need to be hospitalised after receiving complex surgeries in ambulatory settings. Elderly patients and patients with chronic diseases may also receive rehabilitation services and one-stop treatment in such settings. As the services provided by public hospitals become more diversified, the HA does not focus only on inpatient service (including the number of beds) in its service planning, but also makes plans for other healthcare services, such as the ambulatory services.
(3) In addition to the implementation of projects under the 10-year hospital development plan, the HA is also formulating longer-term strategies to expand and modernise hospital services with a view to meeting long-term healthcare needs of the community. For instance, in anticipation of significant growth in demand for healthcare services in the New Territories region as a result of the rapid population growth and ageing in the Tuen Mun and Yuen Long districts, the HA intends to expand the capacity of the new Tin Shui Wai Hospital in the long run by using its adjoining or adjacent sites. In addition, as it is estimated that around 40 per cent of the future population in Tuen Mun and Yuen Long will live in the Hung Shui Kiu New Development Area, a site has been reserved for the construction of a new hospital to complement the acute services of the Tin Shui Wai Hospital.
For the Hong Kong Island, the HA intends to expand the Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital by using the current Chai Wan Laundry site upon its relocation to the proposed Supporting Services Centre in Tin Shui Wai. We also intend to reserve the adjoining site of the North Lantau Hospital for future expansion of the hospital. As for the Kowloon region, we intend to further expand the Tseung Kwan O Hospital, redevelop the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, and redevelop and expand the Princess Margaret Hospital in order to address the long-term demand for hospital services in the region.
The HA will continue to regularly monitor and review the demand and supply of healthcare services in various districts and make timely planning for relevant projects to meet long-term healthcare demand.
(4) To complement the implementation of the 10-year hospital development plan, the HA will closely monitor the healthcare manpower to cope with new services. On the financial commitment to public healthcare services, the Government will continue to allocate resources to meet the growing demand for such services.
Ends/Wednesday, March 2, 2016
Issued at HKT 18:26
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