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Following is a question by the Hon Frederick Fung and a written reply by the Secretary for Food and Health, Dr Ko Wing-man, in the Legislative Council today (July 6):
Question:
It is mentioned in the Budget of this year that "at the district level, community health centres will be set up in Mong Kok, Shek Kip Mei and North District. Additional services for 410 000 attendances will be provided at the general outpatient clinics each year". In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) whether the authorities conducted any review in the past five years on the effectiveness and usage of community health centres; if they did, of the results; if not, the reasons for that; and
(2) of the criteria adopted for making the decision to set up community health centres in the aforesaid three districts; the detailed plans (including the exact locations, the timetable from the planning to the completion and commissioning of those centres, as well as the anticipated service capability) regarding the setting up of community health centres and general outpatient clinics in the three districts?
Reply:
President,
My reply to the question raised by the Hon Frederick Fung is as follows:
(1) At present, the Hospital Authority (HA) has set up community health centres (CHCs) in Tin Shui Wai North, North Lantau and Kwun Tong. The CHC in Tin Shui Wai North, the first of its kind based on the primary care development strategy and service model, was commissioned in mid-2012 to provide integrated and comprehensive primary care services including chronic disease management and patient empowerment programme. North Lantau CHC and Kwun Tong CHC commenced service in September 2013 and March 2015 respectively.
Similar to other public general out-patient clinics, patients under the care of the CHCs mainly comprise two categories: chronic disease patients with stable medical conditions (such as patients with diabetes mellitus or hypertension) and episodic disease patients with relatively mild symptoms (such as those suffering from influenza, cold, fever or gastroenteritis). Multi-disciplinary service programmes are implemented in the CHCs, including the Risk Factor Assessment and Management Programme, Nurse and Allied Health Clinics and the Patient Empowerment Programme. The evaluation studies conducted by the University of Hong Kong and the Chinese University of Hong Kong show that patients participating in these programmes have better clinical outcomes and a higher level of satisfaction towards the services.
(2) In planning for the provision of public primary care services, we take into account a number of factors, including primary care service delivery model, demographic changes, distribution of target groups, provision of primary care services in the district and the demand for public primary care services. Having considered the distribution of target groups and the future population growth in the relevant districts, the Government plans to develop CHCs on the ex-Mong Kok Market site, under the redevelopment of Shek Kip Mei Estate Phase 6 and at Pak Wo Road, Sheung Shui (i.e. the former site of Sheung Shui Shek Wu Hui Fertilizers & Rice Dealers Association Public School, next to Tai Ping Estate), with a view to providing additional services for 410 000 attendances each year. As the projects are at the initial planning stage, target timelines for service commencement are subject to detailed planning and design. HA will work out the detailed operational arrangements at a later stage when the commissioning plans are available. We will consult the District Councils and the local community in due course.
Ends/Wednesday, July 6, 2016
Issued at HKT 12:37
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