December 9, 1999
The Chief Secretary for Administration (CS), Mrs Anson Chan, this (Thursday) afternoon took a first-hand look at the services and facilities provided by the Department of Health (DH) at the Lam Tin Polyclinic.
At the Lam Tin Polyclinic, CS visited the General Out-patient Clinic (GOPC), the Maternal and Child Health Centre (MCHC), the School Dental Care Service (SDCS) and the Student Health Service (SHS). CS observed the daily operations of these essential services, met with clients at different age profiles and talked to frontline medical and professional staff.
"I find this visit very educational and meaningful. Government places a lot of importance on the provision of quality community health care services, as they have a direct interface with the day-to-day lives of the general public. The services and facilities within the polyclinic compound are able to cater for a variety of needs of the community, from preventive and promotive care to curative service. Patients, be they infants, toddlers, or elderly, are all benefiting from such convenience," said Mrs Chan.
The number of consultations provided by DH's 64 GOPCs had jumped from 4.4. million in 1997 to 4.7 million last year. Over the last few years, the number of chronic patients has increased in the GOPC. To-date, over 40 per cent of the GOPC patients are those with illnesses such as hypertension, heart diseases and diabetes. Against this background, DH has been taking measures to improve efficiency and to respond to the trend of chronic diseases. Apart from treatment, patients are provided with individual counselling, health talks and support groups on their specific diseases.
"Given its important role in safeguarding the health of the community, I am pleased to note that a wide range of service improvements have been implemented in Government clinics. These include the provision of preventive and promotive health service, computerised drug labelling, appointment system for chronic cases, better customer service and a more comfortable clinic environment," said Mrs Chan.
"I appreciate the dedication and professionalism of the staff whom I met here. I know how busy their day at the clinic, and indeed their hard work is the key driving force behind all the performance pledges and in continuously upgrading service efficiency and standards," said Mrs Chan.
The Maternal and Child Health Centre (MCHC) provides a comprehensive programme of health and family planning services for women of child-bearing age and children under the age of six. Special emphasis is placed on the promotion of breast-feeding. CS noted that 94% of all registered local births and 41% of pregnant women had attended MCHCs operated by DH.
The School Dental Care Service (SDCS) provides basic dental care to all primary school students. In the 1998/99 school year, more than 415 000 students enrolled in the SDCS, representing 86% of all primary school students. At SDCS, CS observed how primary students were given early guidance on good oral health care habits for the prevention of dental diseases.
Similar to dental care, enrolled students are provided with health programmes designed to cater for the health needs at various stages of their development at the Student Health Service (SHS). About 76% of the students participated in the service. Students are given physical examination, screening for health problems related to growth, individual counselling and health education.
"The Government attaches a great deal of importance to the provision of preventive and promotive health services through our clinics and other educational programmes. The nurturing of proper health awareness at an early age is a key element in the public health services. The enthusiastic and positive response by students and parents alike to these programmes I saw already spoke for their popularity. I encourage all students and parents to come forward and to take advantage of these meaningful programme," said Mrs Chan.