Replies to LegCo questions
LCQ6: Medical services in Tin Shui Wai
Following is a question by the Hon Cheung Hok-ming and an oral reply by the Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food, Dr York Chow, in the Legislative Council today (February 15):
Question:
I have learnt that the Government had planned to build an integrated medical and
health centre in Area 109, Tin Shui Wai for completion in 2004. Nevertheless,
there has not been any timetable for building the centre so far. In this
connection, will the Government inform this Council of:
(a) the commencement date of the works to build the centre;
(b) the measures taken by the authorities to ease the acute shortage of medical
services and facilities in Tin Shui Wai before the commissioning of the centre;
and
(c) the medical services to be provided by the centre upon its commissioning,
and whether such services will include specialist out-patient service and
Chinese medicine out-patient service?
Reply:
Madam President,
(a) The Administration and the Hospital Authority (HA) have all along been
studying various options available to enhance the provision of medical services
in Tin Shui Wai, including assessment of the need to build new medical
facilities in Area 109, Tin Shui Wai North in the long run. We will continue to
closely gauge the needs of the residents in the district for medical services so
as to determine the type of clinic to be built and the timing as well.
(b) As a short-term measure, HA has enhanced the capacity and service quality of
the Tin Shui Wai Clinic on various fronts. On top of the general out-patient
places, the New Territories West Cluster now runs eight additional nursing and
consultation sessions in the Tin Shui Wai Clinic each week to provide follow-up
service to hypertension patients and those requiring wound dressing. The Cluster
also makes available in the Tin Shui Wai Clinic two extra consultation sessions
attended by specialists of medicine and paediatric. With the introduction of
these two services, a total of about 100 additional places are provided each
week to patients in the Tin Shui Wai Clinic.
On general out-patient service, HA has planned to provide new general
out-patient service in the Pok Oi Hospital Chinese Medicine Clinic in Tin Wah
Estate, Tin Shui Wai starting from the third quarter of this year. In the first
phase, 100 new general out-patient places will be offered each week. This new
general out-patient service will not affect the present throughput of the
out-patient Chinese medicine service in the Pok Oi Hospital. The existing level
of out-patient service in the Tin Shui Wai Health Centre will also be
maintained.
(c) In planning medical services at district level, the Administration would
place special emphasis on developing community-based nursing service, fostering
day care and outreaching services and putting in place a health care service
network which covers every aspect of primary health care to achieve our goal of
better public health. To work towards this goal, HA is now considering the
proposal of building a health centre in Area 109, Tin Shui Wai North. If it is
materialised, we will give thorough consideration of the services to be provided
in the proposed centre taking into account the factors such as population and
the medical facilities and services currently available. At the same time, we
will take full account of the recommendations made in the discussion paper
"Building a Healthy Tomorrow" by the Health and Medical Development Advisory
Committee, including the recommendation that part of the primary medical care
service (e.g. general out-patient service) being offered by the public sector
may be provided through purchasing such service from the private sector.
Ends/Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Issued at HKT 14:22
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