Press Releases
SFH on policy agenda
Following is a transcript of the remarks by the Secretary for Food and Health,
Dr York Chow, at a stand-up media session at the Legislative Council Building
today (October 17)(English session):
Reporter: (about live pork prices)
Secretary for Food and Health: The wholesale price has been down almost 30%,
particularly from the source, and sometimes even more. Earlier this year, about
eight to nine months ago, the price is about $1,800 or almost $2,000 per 100
catties, but now it has gone down to about $800 to $1,200. This is a significant
drop. But we do not see the same type of price decrease at the retail level.
That is why we think that it is something that the consumers should know and
should make their choice.
Reporter: (about food recall law)
Secretary for Food and Health: We will introduce to the Legislative Council in
November amendment to a law which allows the authorities to exercise an order to
prohibit sale to ensure that there is no import, or even recall and destroy
problem food. This would give the authorities the power to do all that with
reasonable suspicion. That would also ensure that some of the suspicious food
products in Hong Kong would not be sold to the public and hopefully alleviate
the panic of the public. This proposal received unanimous support from all the
legislators today. I am very grateful to them.
Reporter: (about health care reform)
Secretary for Food and Health: One of the proposals we have in the Policy
Address and Policy Agenda is to have innovative ways of looking after the
chronically ill patients. We estimated that there is half a million of them,
with the condition of about two-third of them being stable. At the moment, they
can only go to government clinics every four months or so, mainly to have tests
and collect their medication. I think if we can have an option for them to also
have interim follow-up with private doctors, they can have better care. We feel
that there will be a good opportunity to improve the quality of care. It will
also increase the access of care and minimise the complication rates and
hospitalisation rates of these patients.
Reporter: But services at public hospitals will not be reduced, right?
Secretary for Food and Health: No. In fact with the increase of Government
commitment in financing health care, we will be both increasing the subsidy to
the Hospital Authority as well as investing in this innovative way of health
care. We will see how it goes. The public should be reassured that we are not
diminishing the support to the Hospital Authority.
Reporter: (about health care reform)
Secretary for Food and Health: In the first stage of our consultation, we have
very good consensus on some of the service reforms. We have a bit of diverse
opinion regarding financing, but not that we do not have some common elements.
We are now doing analysis and trying to get these common elements together to
have an option that will be acceptable to the public. Of course a concern now is
whether the financial situation in Hong Kong is so poor and people are willing
to discuss something so long term. But I think this is something that would
affect us all and particularly our next generation. It is prudent for us to
ensure that the public know what the problem is and what we are facing in
future. Hopefully, by the first half of next year, we will be able to produce a
second document.
Reporter: As people suffer from the financial tsunami, do you expect that the
pressure on public hospitals will increase as people turn to public hospitals
instead of the private ones?
Secretary for Food and Health: The past experience is when the financial or
economic situation of Hong Kong is bad, more people would seek health care
services from the public sector than the private sector. The burden of the
Hospital Authority would be increasing in the coming months.
Reporter: (inaudible)
Secretary for Food and Health: We have increased the resources of the Hospital
Authority over the last two years. We will increase the resources again next
year. We are also buying services from the private side so that we can increase
the total capacity of health care.
(Please also refer to the
Chinese session.)
Ends/Friday, October 17, 2008
Issued at HKT 18:46
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