|
Demand for hospital services remained high in 2003. There were 739 000
discharges, 5 648 000 specialist out-patient attendances and 4 348 000
general out-patient attendances. Accident and emergency departments of
major public hospitals had 1 816 000 attendances, or 4 962 per day.
The international trend has been to focus on the development
of ambulatory and community care programmes. In line with this development,
starting from 2001-02 the allocation of public funding for public hospital
services has been changed from the facility-based approach to a population-based
approach so as to encourage the mobilisation of resources from institutions
to community settings. The new funding arrangement has facilitated the
further development of the Hospital Authority's ambulatory and community
outreach programmes.
In 2003, the Hospital Authority continued to step
up training for family physicians, community paediatricians, community
physicians, general practitioners and community allied health practitioners
to support development of the community mode of health care delivery.
It introduced a Visiting Medical Officer Scheme for residential care homes
for the elderly to improve the quality of care and to reduce hospital
admission for elders. It also rolled out a number of pilot schemes, such
as the community allied health services schemes and the community drug
compliance and counselling service, to enhance the level of care in the
community setting. In order to strengthen its ambulatory services, the
Hospital Authority is in the process of remodelling the Tang Shiu Kin
Hospital into an ambulatory care centre, which is due for completion in
late 2004.
Projects in the hospital development programme progressed
satisfactorily. Phase I redevelopment of both the Caritas Medical Centre
and the Kowloon Hospital was completed. Several other hospitals were undergoing
redevelopment or major refurbishment/remodelling. |
