Hong Kong health indices among world's best

Hong Kong continues to rank as one of the healthiest places in the world. The Department of Health's Consultant on Community Medicine, Dr Thomas Tsang, said today (January 28) that one of the important health indices, life expectancy at birth, had been steadily rising for more than three decades.

The index reached 78.4 years among males and 84.6 years among females in 2001, compared with approximately 67 among males and 75 among females in the early 1970s.

Infant and under-5 mortality rates also remained at very low levels - 2.7 per 1,000 registered live births and 0.7 per 1,000 population aged under 5 years in 2001.

There was only one maternal death registered in 2001, representing a maternal mortality ratio of 2.0 per 100,000 registered live births.

"Hong Kong takes pride in achieving health indices which rank among the best in the world," said Dr Tsang.

He said the satisfactory health indices reflected substantial improvements in public health infrastructure, medical care, public education, better hygiene and other factors over the years.

"Keeping up a healthy lifestyle is crucial to maintaining good health. The declining prevalence of smoking has contributed significantly to our better health indices. Balanced diet and regular exercises are also important," Dr Tsang said.

End/Tuesday, January 28, 2003