The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, today (November 20) officiated at the opening ceremony of the Yuen Long Leisure and Cultural Building and visited Yuen Long District for an update on its medical facilities and transport development.

     After the opening ceremony, Mr Cheung visited the sports centre and public library within the Yuen Long Leisure and Cultural Building.

     Also in attendance were other officiating guests including Director of Leisure and Cultural Services, Ms Michelle Li; Director of Architectural Services, Mr Leung Koon-kee; Chairman of the Yuen Long District Council, Mr Shum Ho-kit; Chairman of the District Facilities Management Committee of the Yuen Long District Council, Mr Lee Yuet-man; and District Officer (Yuen Long), Mr Edward Mak.

     Located at 52 Ma Tin Road, the Yuen Long Leisure and Cultural Building has commenced operation since June this year to provide a wide range of leisure and sports facilities as well as library services for Yuen Long residents.

     With a total area of 7 600 square metres, the sports centre provides a wide variety of recreational facilities including multi-purpose arena, activity rooms, a fitness room, a table-tennis room and a children's play room. The 2 900-square-metre public library comprises key facilities including an adult library, a children's library, a multimedia library, a newspapers and periodicals section, a computer and information centre, an extension activity room, a students’ study room as well as internet and digital service workstations.

     Mr Cheung then visited the Tin Shui Wai Hospital (TSWH) and was given a briefing on its operation. The hospital had been brought into operation in phases since January 2017.

     Under the initial phase, ambulatory services including specialist out-patient clinics for medicine and geriatrics, orthopaedics and traumatology as well as family medicine, are provided. In addition, renal dialysis, allied health, diagnostic radiology, pharmacy and community nursing services are also provided. The hospital has also started to provide accident and emergency services for 8 hours each day since March.

     He was pleased to learn that TSWH planned to extend its daily Accident and Emergency services to 12 hours in this financial year to meet the service demand.

     He believed that when the full range of services is launched, TSWH would become the key medical institution in Tin Shui Wai, reducing the need of residents to seek medical services from hospitals in other districts.

     Later, Mr Cheung inspected the traffic conditions along the Yuen Long section of Castle Peak Road and received a briefing from a Highways Department representative on an elevated pedestrian corridor being taken forward in Yuen Long town.

     The 540-metre-long covered elevated pedestrian corridor will be built along the Yuen Long Nullah, from the West Rail Long Ping Station to the south of Kau Yuk Road. It aims to meet the anticipated pedestrian traffic demand arising from future developments in Yuen Long town. The Government strives to seek funding approval for the construction of the project in this legislative session with a view to commencing the construction works in 2018.

     Before the visit was concluded, he met Yuen Long District Council members to listen carefully to their views on matters of concern to the district particularly on issues related to transport development.

Ends/Monday, November 20, 2017
Issued at HKT 19:04

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