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The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:
Regarding the services of the Designated Clinics (DCs) and the Special Assessment Centres (SACs), the Hospital Authority (HA) spokesperson provided the following update today (March 6):
The DCs today (as at 5pm) provided initial assessment to 18 patients. Patients who require further assessment and treatment are referred to the SACs. No patients were referred to the SACs for consultation today. A total of 56,440 attendances and 27,332 assessments have been reported at the DCs and SACs respectively since they began operations on September 23, 2008.
In view of decreasing demand for the screening service, the HA has decided that the free health screening service in the 18 DCs will be in operation until March 31, 2009, while the free SAC service will remain in operation until April 9, 2009, or until all referrals from the DCs have been provided with further assessment service.
In the coming three days, a total of 12 appointments have already been made at the DCs.
As of today, the HA has reported 14 cases of renal problems suspected to be related to the consumption of melamine tainted milk products.
The HA reiterated that the free screening service was a contingency arrangement with its prime focus on local children who had an "eligible person" status. Other patients will be referred to private healthcare providers to reserve adequate capacity for locals.
Ends/Friday, March 6, 2009
Issued at HKT 18:25
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