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Following is a question by the Hon Ho Chun-yan and a written reply by the Secretary for Health and Welfare, Dr E K Yeoh, in the Legislative Council today (May 3):
Question:
In connection with the in-patient rehabilitation services in public hospitals, will the Government inform this Council of :
(a) the number of rehabilitation beds in each public hospital and, in respect of each hospital cluster, the ratio of such beds to the population served as at the end of last year;
(b) the latest timetable for the extension project of Pok Oi Hospital and the movement in the number of rehabilitation beds in each year during the project;
(c) the commencement date for the construction of the rehabilitation hospital in Tuen Mun; and
(d) the measures in place to ensure that the rehabilitation beds in Yuen Long and Tuen Mun are sufficient?
Reply :
Madam President,
(a) The latest statistics on the number of rehabilitation beds in each public hospital, and the number of such beds per 1 000 effective population in each hospital cluster as at 31 March 2000 are provided at Annex.
(b) We shall seek the approval of the Finance Committee of the Legislative Council in June 2000 to embark on the preparatory works of the Pok Oi Hospital (POH) redevelopment and expansion project in the latter half of 2000. We aim to complete the project by end 2006.
POH aims to continue to operate all its 120 rehabilitation beds during the re-development period. The 80 rehabilitation beds currently accommodated at the South Wing of POH will be decanted to POH's Tin Ka Ping Centre to allow the re-development to proceed. To facilitate the decantation, 80 infirmary beds at the Tin Ka Ping Centre will be reprovisioned at the Tai Po Hospital.
(c)&(d) At present, the New Territories North (NTN) hospital cluster, which serves the Tuen Mun, Yuen Long and North districts, is provided with 275 rehabilitation beds. The cluster is also supported by rehabilitation hospitals in other clusters, such as the Tai Po Hospital. The international trend has been to focus on the development of the more cost-effective ambulatory and community care programmes, instead of inpatient services. The Hospital Authority is reviewing the rehabilitation facilities needed in the light of these changes. We will continue to closely monitor the population growth and the evolving medical needs of the catchment population of the NTN cluster.
Annex
The breakdown of the number of rehabilitation beds
by hospital as at 31 March 2000
Hospital Number of
rehabilitation
beds
Hong Kong East Cluster
Cheshire Home 0
(Chung Hom Kok)
Pamela Youde Nethersole 0
Eastern Hospital
Ruttonjee & Tang Shiu 128
Kin Hospital
St John Hospital 0
Tung Wah Eastern Hospital 195
Wong Chuk Hang Hospital 0
Hong Kong West Cluster
Duchess of Kent Children's 0
Hospital
Tung Wah Group of Hospitals 216
Fung Yiu King Hospital
Grantham Hospital 40
Maclehose Medical 130
Rehabilitation Centre
Nam Long Hospital 112
Queen Mary Hospital 0
Tsan Yuk Hospital 0
Tung Wah Hospital 215
Kowloon Central Cluster
Hong Kong Buddhist 190
Hospital
Kowloon Hospital 627
Queen Elizabeth Hospital 80
Kowloon East Cluster
Haven of Hope Hospital 278
Hong Kong Eye Hospital 0
Tseung Kwan O Hospital 0
United Christian Hospital 34
Kowloon West Cluster
Kwong Wah Hospital 0
Our Lady of Maryknoll 0
Hospital
Tung Wah Group of Hospitals 488
Wong Tai Sin Hospital
New Territories East Cluster
Alice Ho Miu Ling 0
Nethersole Hospital
Bradbury Hospice 0
Cheshire Home (Shatin) 150
Prince of Wales Hospital 0
Shatin Hospital 156
Tai Po Hospital 272
New Territories North Cluster
Castle Peak Hospital 0
Fanling Hospital 117
North District Hospital 0
Pok Oi Hospital 120
Siu Lam Hospital 0
Tuen Mun Hospital 38
New Territories South Cluster
Caritas Medical Centre 220
Kwai Chung Hospital 0
Lai Chi Kok Hospital 12
Princess Margaret Hospital 20
Yan Chai Hospital 166
Total 4004
The number of rehabilitation beds per 1 000 effective population in each hospital cluster as at 31 March 2000
Hospital cluster Rehabilitation beds
per 1 000 effective
population*
Hong Kong East 0.4
Hong Kong West 0.9
Kowloon Central 1.0
Kowloon East 0.6
Kowloon West 0.7
New Territories East 0.6
New Territories North 0.3
New Territories South 0.3
Overall 0.6
*The effective population has taken into account the inter-cluster flow of patients due to work- related population movement, location of specialised or tertiary services, and preference of patients.
END/Wednesday, May 3, 2000
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