Press Releases
Transcript of Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food
Following is a transcript of the remarks made by the Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food, Dr Yeoh Eng-kiong, at a media session after visiting the Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital today (May 14):
Reporter: Dr Yeoh, do you have a timetable on the redevelopment of PWH (Prince of Wales Hospital)?
Dr Yeoh: We are looking at the issue. As I said, the issue of whether the Prince of Wales Hospital should go to refurbishment or there should be a redevelopment has been considered by the Hospital Authority, and an assessment has been done by the Hospital Authority and the Architectural Services Department to do a preliminary feasibility study. And in that preliminary feasibility study, whether a refurbishment option or a redevelopment option would be the best option has been considered. This preliminary feasibility study's conclusion is that redevelopment project is the most cost-effective option. Obviously, this is the initial study that has been done, we have accepted this study in principle. We are going to have more detailed work to understand the two options better and to see what development options are the best. Until the time that we have completed this work, including whether we would possibly be involving the private sector in redevelopment, we would not be going to the Legislative Council's Finance Committee yet. After we complete this work, we would be certainly going to the Legislative Council's Health Services Panel for them to understand why this redevelopment option is the most cost-effective and why this is necessary. After going to the Health Services Panel, when at an appropriate time, we then go to the Finance Committee to ask for funds. So, we are nowhere near this stage at this point of time. These are preliminary studies that have been done and we will be obviously looking at the options very carefully because the amount of money involved is very substantial. The other advantage of having a redevelopment option is that it provides much better opportunities for future expansion and for meeting the technology of future needs. Because in medicine, things are moving so fast. The way that you provide care is changing all the time. In the design of hospital in the past, there wasn't sufficient design capacity for future technology because sometimes you can't foresee all the technology that is going to take place in the future. In design of a hospital now, we put in some perspectives of some experts' views of what technologies we might have to be put in the hospital in the future. So in your design options, you can build in some of the modern technologies. For redevelopment, obviously the other option will be that you have much greater operational efficiency as the additional advantages. But the most important thing is obviously looking at the two options and see which is a more cost-effective option.
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion)
Ends/Friday, May 14, 2004
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