For information AOM-P1160

on 21.1.2016

Hospital Authority

2016 Policy Address

Purpose

This paper sets out relevant contents of the 2016 Policy Address that are related the Hospital Authority (HA) or healthcare in general for Members’ information.

Background 2. The Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region announced his 2016 Policy Address on 13 January 2016 (full version available for public access on the Internet http://www.policyaddress.gov.hk/. Extracts of Chapter X on Healthcare (paragraphs 220 to 240) followed by other sections/paragraphs with HA involvement or related interests (e.g. Wi-Fi in public venues including public hospitals, elderly care/services, support for persons with disabilities, children with special needs etc.) are provided at Annex 1 for easy reference by Members 3. The Secretary for Food and Health will brief the Legislative Council Panel on Health Services on 18 January 2016 on the new initiatives and the progress of on-going initiatives in respect of health matters as set out in the 2016 Policy Agenda. A copy of the Panel paper is attached at Annex 2 for Members’ perusal. Most of the matters therein are relevant to HA. 4. HA is discussing with the Government on the details relating to the implementation of and resource requirements for the various programmes and initiatives, and will report to this meeting and/or the relevant committees at a later stage. Advice Sought

5. Members are invited to note Annexes 1 and 2. Hospital Authority AOM\PAPER\1160 14 January 2016

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Annex 1 to AOM-P1160

Extracts from the 2016 Policy Address

(Paragraph numbering according to that in the Policy Address)

X. Healthcare (paragraphs 220 – 240)

Public Healthcare Services

220. An ageing population puts tremendous pressure on our healthcare

services. This year, the HA will strive to provide about 230 additional hospital beds, and

increase operating theatre sessions, quotas for general out-patient consultation, places for

endoscopy examination and provision of emergency surgical service this year.

Ten-year Blueprint for Hospital Development

221. To meet new demand and improve existing services, the Government has

worked with the HA to devise an overall hospital development plan, and $200 billion will

be used to implement the plan in the next ten years.

222. Tin Shui Wai Hospital and the Hong Kong Children’s Hospital are expected to

be completed in 2016 and 2017 respectively. Apart from projects that have commenced,

namely the redevelopment of Kwong Wah Hospital, Queen Mary Hospital and United

Christian Hospital, and stage one construction of an acute general hospital in the Kai Tak

Development Area, the hospital development plan for the coming decade also includes

stage two construction of the acute general hospital in the Kai Tak Development Area,

and the redevelopment or expansion projects of the Tuen Mun Hospital Operating

Theatre Block, Haven of Hope Hospital, Prince of Wales Hospital, Kwai Chung Hospital,

North District Hospital, Princess Margaret Hospital Lai King Building, Grantham

Hospital and Our Lady of Maryknoll Hospital. The above projects will provide some

5 000 additional public hospital beds and over 90 new operating theatres.

223. The Government puts much emphasis on putting in place major hospitals to

offer one-stop and multi-disciplinary healthcare services to the public. According to the

plan, the acute general hospital in the Kai Tak Development Area will provide around

2 400 beds. Together with the 468-bed Hong Kong Children’s Hospital, the two will

form a large state-of-the-art medical centre. This is another large-scale medical institute

since the completion of Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital in 1993, which

signifies our commitment to public healthcare services.

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Ambulatory Services

224. An ageing population will lead to increased prevalence of chronic

diseases. The HA will progressively strengthen ambulatory services, including making

plans to construct ambulatory care centres and large day hospitals, which will provide

more facilities such as those for day surgery, rehabilitation, endoscopy, diagnostic

radiology and laboratory services. Patients who receive diagnosis and treatment in

hospitals in the daytime and return home to recuperate can stay connected with their

family and the community. This is beneficial to their recovery and hospital beds to be

used for serving patients in need.

Primary Care

225. We should begin with preventive care and encourage our people to pay

attention to personal health. We should make good use of community resources to

improve healthcare services. The Department of Health has devised reference

frameworks for healthcare personnel and patients on diabetes, hypertension and

preventive care for children and elderly people. It has also established the Primary Care

Directory, an electronic database to facilitate the public in their search for healthcare

services. The Government has proposed allocating $10 billion to the HA to set up an

endowment fund to generate investment returns for regularising and enhancing pilot

clinical public-private partnership (PPP) programmes, as well as develop new clinical

PPP initiatives. The Health and Medical Development Advisory Committee will focus

on ways to further promote primary care to ensure the long-term sustainability of the

public healthcare system.

226. The Government will invite the CCF to consider a pilot scheme for providing

teenage girls from eligible low-income families with a free cervical cancer vaccination.

Mental Health

227. In accordance with the preliminary recommendations of the Review

Committee on Mental Health, the HA will continue to allocate additional resources to

provide new generation psychiatric drugs and strengthen manpower for enhancing

psychiatric in-patient and out-patient services. In addition, the HA and Social Welfare

Department will launch a two-year pilot scheme to provide services for elderly persons

with mild or mild to moderate dementia through medical-social collaboration at District

Elderly Community Centres. The scheme aims to reduce the waiting time for HA

assessment and specialist services, and enhance community care services for dementia

patients.

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Implementing the Recommendations of the Review of the Hospital

Authority

228. The Steering Committee on Review of Hospital Authority put forward 10

major recommendations in its report published in mid-2015. With the introduction of

measures such as refining the delineation of cluster boundary and resource allocation

model, the waiting time of patients will be shortened and the HA will be better prepared

for challenges such as an ageing population and increased prevalence of chronic

diseases. The Government has earmarked an additional one-off provision of over

$1.1 billion for three years starting from this year to facilitate implementation of the

recommendations.

Public Health

Combating Seasonal Influenza

229. The Government has expanded on a pilot basis in 2015-16 the scope of the

Government Vaccination Programme and the Vaccination Subsidy Schemes to cover

persons with intellectual disabilities and elderly people aged 65 or above. The measures

will be regularised in 2016-17.

Tackling the Threat of Antimicrobial Resistance

230. Antimicrobial resistance poses a major threat to global public health. The

Government will set up a high-level steering committee to formulate strategies in

collaboration with the relevant sectors to tackle the threat.

Tobacco Control and Smoking Cessation Services

231. The Government will step up inspection in statutory no-smoking areas,

enhance smoking cessation services and consider the regulation of electronic cigarettes

through legislation. It will also strengthen public education on the potential harm of

electronic cigarettes.

Chinese Medicine

232. Traditional Chinese medicine is of great value and has been making significant

contributions to the health of mankind. The award of the 2015 Nobel Prize in Medicine

to Ms Tu Youyou has shown the world that the knowledge and theories of traditional

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Chinese medicine can be taken to a new level through the application of modern science

and technology. Built on a solid foundation, the practice of Chinese medicine in Hong

Kong is blessed with an internationally recognised regulatory regime and close

connections with world-class research institutions and experts. The Government is

determined to develop Hong Kong into a regional innovation hub in the area of

technologies and their application. Therefore, Hong Kong is well prepared to further the

development of Chinese medicine.

233. The Chinese Medicine Development Committee set up by the current-term

Government has put forward plans for the development of Chinese medicine in four

major areas, namely Chinese medicine services, personnel training and professional

development, research and development and the Chinese medicines industry. The

Government has been implementing the committee’s recommendations in phases,

including the launch of the Integrated Chinese-Western Medicine Pilot Project by the HA

and the planning and establishment of a testing centre for Chinese medicines to be

administered by the Department of Health.

234. The Government has reserved a site in Tseung Kwan O to develop a Chinese

medicine hospital. It has also completed the compilation of Hong Kong Chinese Materia

Medica Standards for about 230 Chinese materia medica commonly used in Hong Kong,

and will launch a pilot study on the standard setting for Chinese medicines decoction

pieces.

Healthcare Reform

Healthcare Manpower Planning and Professional Development

235. To maintain quality healthcare services and to ensure the sustainable

development of the services, the Government will soon complete the strategic review of

healthcare manpower planning and professional development and implement the

recommendations in phases. This will serve to meet the future demand and keep the

regulatory regimes for healthcare professions in pace with the times.

236. Based on the preliminary results of the strategic review, the Government will

increase the number of publicly-funded degree places in medicine, dentistry and other

healthcare disciplines by 50, 20 and 68 respectively in the 2016/17 to 2018/19

triennium. It will gradually implement other regulatory proposals including launching a

voluntary accredited registers scheme for supplementary healthcare professions.

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237. The Government plans to introduce a bill to this Council in the first quarter of

this year for amending the Medical Registration Ordinance, which will cover, among

other things, the proposal made by a Legislative Council Member to increase by four the

number of lay members appointed to the Medical Council of Hong Kong (MCHK). The

proposed increase aims at improving the MCHK’s mechanism for complaint

investigation and disciplinary inquiry. Moreover, the Government will review the

organisation structure of the MCHK in detail to ensure that there is sufficient

professional representation and public engagement, and to enhance its administrative

flexibility in admitting non-locally trained professionals to meet local demand.

Regulation of Private Healthcare Facilities

238. The Government will tighten the regulation of private healthcare facilities by

establishing a new regulatory regime through legislation to ensure patient safety and

protect consumer rights.

Voluntary Health Insurance Scheme

239. The Government will prepare to implement the Voluntary Health Insurance

Scheme, including setting the minimum requirements for insurance products, drafting

standardised policy terms and conditions and planning for the migration of existing

policies.

Electronic Health Record Sharing

240. The Electronic Health Record Sharing System, which promotes co-operation

between the public and private sectors, will be commissioned early this year. The

second stage of the programme will also commence in due course. Tentatively, the

project will cover sharing of radiological images and expansion of the sharable scope of

data.

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IV. Innovation and Technology

Digital Development and Smart City

84. The Internet is of increasing importance to us. According to the World

Competitiveness Yearbook, Hong Kong has ranked first globally in technology

infrastructure for five consecutive years. At present, there are over 17 000 Wi-Fi.HK

hotspots offering free Wi-Fi services. The Government will progressively expand the

coverage of free Wi-Fi services by doubling the number of hotspots to 34 000 within

three years to provide such services at all public rental housing (PRH) estates and public

hospitals, markets, parks, sitting-out areas, promenades, tourist spots, public transport

interchanges and land boundary control points. Hong Kong will then have one of the

highest Wi-Fi densities in the world. The existing speed of Wi-Fi connection at

government venues will be progressively doubled and security enhanced. We will offer

free Wi-Fi services at all youth service centres and study rooms run by the Government

and non-profit-making organisations, and work with schools to improve the quality of

their Wi-Fi services in order to support e-learning.

VI. Poverty Alleviation, Elderly Care and Support for the

Disadvantaged

Elderly Services

149. Over the past four years, public resources allocated to elderly services have

increased by 55%. The Government will continue to strengthen the community and

residential care services for the frail elderly based on the principle of “ageing in place as

the core, institutional care as back-up”. The Elderly Commission is pressing ahead with

the formulation of the Elderly Services Programme Plan for the medium and long term.

150. To further support elderly people living in the community, the Government

will provide about 70 additional subsidised day care places between now and 2016-17.

151. The Government will continue to increase the supply of subsidised residential

care places for the elderly and improve the service quality of residential care homes. It

will also comprehensively strengthen the monitoring of residential care homes for the

elderly and those for persons with disabilities. Measures include enhancing inspection

and supervision, improving the regulatory mechanism and promoting staff training.

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152. The Government will strengthen healthcare services for the elderly, including

expanding the services of the Community Geriatric Assessment Teams of the Hospital

Authority (HA) to more districts.

Support for the Disadvantaged

Persons with Disabilities

153. Compared with four years ago, the Government’s recurrent expenditure on

support services for persons with disabilities has increased by nearly 50%. In future,

continuous and comprehensive support for persons with disabilities will be provided,

such as training subsidies and offering on a pilot basis on-site rehabilitation services to

pre-school children; extending the duration of post-placement follow-up service, raising

the amount of employment and job trial subsidies, and giving employers subsidies to

carry out workplace modifications; and supporting persons with disabilities through case

managers, and providing home care service for persons with severe disabilities.

154. The inter-departmental working group co-ordinated by the Labour and

Welfare Bureau has completed the review of the eligibility criteria for the Disability

Allowance. The Government will implement the following recommendations of the

working group:

1. Improve the existing medical assessment arrangement for the Disability

Allowance; and

2. Invite the Community Care Fund (CCF) to introduce pilot schemes to

provide a living allowance for low-income carers of persons with disabilities,

raising the maximum level of disregarded earnings for recipients with

disabilities under the CSSA Scheme, and providing an additional grant for

eligible recipients of higher Disability Allowance who are in paid

employment. The Labour Department will invite NGO(s) to assist in

following up the employment support provided for job seekers with

disabilities.

155. The Government will continue to increase manpower to better implement and

monitor rehabilitation services. It will provide additional service places, increase the

number of places purchased under the Bought Place Scheme from private residential care

homes for persons with disabilities, raise subventions for visiting medical practitioners to

enhance the primary medical service for users of residential care homes, and provide

additional Rehabuses and replace the old ones.

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Children with Special Needs

156. The Pilot Scheme on On-site Pre-school Rehabilitation Services introduced in

2015-16 provides timely support for children waitlisted for services. The Government

has approved the provision of over 2 900 on-site service places by 16 NGOs for more

than 450 kindergartens or child care centres.

157. To fulfil the performance pledge of providing assessment and professional

diagnosis within six months, the Department of Health will set up an additional Child

Assessment Centre. The Government will also increase the training hours for those

children on the waiting list for special child care centres.

158. Some middle-income parents are concerned that after their passing, the care

for their children with special needs, particularly those with intellectual disabilities,

would be upset. The Labour and Welfare Bureau will establish a working group to

explore the feasibility of setting up a public trust and review the related guardianship

system, with a view to providing affordable services.

Family Services

159. The Government is conducting a public consultation on the legislative

proposal for Parental Responsibility Model. By implementing measures such as a pilot

project on children contact service, it will promote the continuing parental responsibility

of divorced parents towards their children.

160. The Government will give better support to victims of domestic violence and

families in need by providing additional places in refuge centres for women and the

Family Crisis Support Centre and increasing their resources.

Social Welfare Planning and Human Resources in Care Services

161. The Government is actively implementing the Special Scheme on Privately

Owned Sites for Welfare Uses under which five projects are expected to provide about

240 additional elderly service places and about 450 additional subvented rehabilitation

service places by 2017-18.

162. The Government has launched the Navigation Scheme for Young Persons in

Care Services to offer employment and training opportunities to young persons interested

in providing care services in the welfare sector. A total of 1 000 training places will be

provided in stages by five NGOs.

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For discussion

on 18 January 2016

Legislative Council Panel on Health Services

2016 Policy Address

Policy Initiatives of the Food and health Bureau

Hong Kong has a twin track healthcare system comprising both public

and private sector. The public healthcare system is the cornerstone of Hong

Kong’s healthcare system and the safety net for all. The Government will

ensure that no one would be denied healthcare services because of lack of

means. As an integral part of our twin track system, the private healthcare

sector provides personalised and more accessible services for those who are

willing and can afford to use private healthcare services.

2. Due to our aging population and the rising demand for healthcare

services, our public healthcare system faces obvious pressures and challenges.

For these, we strive to maintain the balance between the public and private

healthcare sectors and to meet the long term healthcare needs of our population

through various health policies and initiatives. We will continue to increase

investment in public healthcare facilities and make improvements to them

through redevelopment of existing hospitals and construction of new ones. We

are also committed to implementing a series of reform measures, including the

promotion of long-term development of primary care and Chinese medicine,

taking forward in phases the recommendations of the Strategic Review on

Healthcare Manpower Planning and Professional Development, proposed

introduction of the Voluntary Health Insurance Scheme, revamp of the

regulatory regime for private healthcare facilities and implementation of

electronic health record sharing.

New Initiatives

(a) Healthcare Service Development and Infrastructure

3. Development and construction of healthcare facilities is a long process

and requires a lot of planning. Given the crowded situation in Hong Kong,

Annex 2 to AOM-P1060

2

in-situ redevelopment and renovation of facilities while maintaining the existing

services is the norm and poses huge challenges. To ensure early and better

planning of hospital projects to cope with the rising demand, we formulate the

hospital development plan for the coming 10 years with a view to addressing

the long-term healthcare needs of the population. The construction of the Tin

Shui Wai Hospital and the Hong Kong Children’s Hospital are expected to be

completed this year and next year respectively. In addition to the

redevelopment projects of the Kwong Wah Hospital, the Queen Mary Hospital

and the United Christian Hospital which have already commenced, and Phase 1

development of the acute general hospital in the Kai Tak Development Area,

the hospital development plan for the coming ten years includes Phase 2

development of the acute general hospital in the Kai Tak Development Area,

the redevelopment or expansion of the Tuen Mun Hospital Operating Theatre

Block, the Haven of Hope Hospital, the Prince of Wales Hospital, the Kwai

Chung Hospital, the North District Hospital, Lai King Building of the Princess

Margaret Hospital, the Grantham Hospital and Our Lady of Maryknoll Hospital,

etc. The number of public hospital beds will increase by about 20% from around

27 000 at present to around 32 000. More than 90 additional operating theatres

will also be provided. The estimated total project cost will reach $200 billion.

4. We would commence the development of the second stage of the

electronic health record programme, which tentatively includes addition of other

sharable data, sharing of radiological images, enhancement of patients’

control/selection of data, development of a patient portal etc.

(b) Enhancing Healthcare Services Provision

5. To meet the growing demand, we would enhance healthcare services

for the elderly by setting up the 5th joint replacement centre in the territory,

extending the coverage of visits by the Community Geriatric Assessment Teams

to residential care homes for the elderly, and strengthening the support for

terminally ill patients in residential care homes.

6. We have completed the review on the Hospital Authority (HA) and

will implement the recommendations of the Steering Committee on Review of

HA through measures like refining the cluster boundary, shortening waiting

time and adopting a refined population-based resource allocation model, etc to

enable HA to better meet the challenges of an ageing population, increasing

3

prevalence of chronic diseases and increasing healthcare cost due to advance in

medical technology.

7. We would also strengthen the services for critical illness and chronic

diseases through, for example, increasing the service capacity of

echocardiogram for cardiac service, enhancing the service quota of

haemodialysis for renal service, and extending the service hours of radiotherapy

for cancer service.

(c) Enhance the service capacity of the Child Assessment Centres

(CACs)

8. We understand the importance of early assessment and professional

diagnosis to children with developmental problems, so as to refer the children in

need to appropriate institutions for treatment and/or training as soon as

practicable. Currently, the Health and Developmental Surveillance

Programme offered by the Maternal and Child Health Centres (MCHCs) of the

Department of Health (DH) can effectively identify suspected cases of

developmental problems among children from birth to five years old.

Separately, under the Comprehensive Child Development Service jointly

launched by Education Bureau, DH, HA, Social Welfare Department, and

non-governmental organisations, pre-primary institution teachers can directly

refer children in need to MCHCs of their respective districts for preliminary

assessment. Subject to the assessment result, MCHCs will refer the children

concerned to the Child Assessment Service (CAS) of DH or other HA

specialists for further actions if necessary. At its six CACs, CAS provides

comprehensive multi-disciplinary assessment and diagnosis, as well as devising

rehabilitation plans for children aged below 12 suspected of having

developmental problems.

9. In order to efficiently address different developmental problems, CAS

has already introduced a triage system for newly registered cases. As the

service demand and the number of referral to CAS continue to rise, we will

therefore allocate additional resources to DH to kick start in 2016/17 the

preparatory work on setting up a new CAC to provide early assessment and

professional diagnosis for children with developmental problems in the face of

the increasing demand.

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(d) Chinese Medicine

10. The Government has all along been committed to promoting the

development of Chinese medicine in Hong Kong. The Chief Executive

established the Chinese Medicine Development Committee in February 2013 to

focus on the study of four major areas, namely the development of Chinese

medicine services, personnel training and professional development, research

and development as well as development of the Chinese medicines industry

(including Chinese medicines testing). The Government in early 2014 and

early 2015 accepted a number of recommendations put forth by the Committee,

including the development of Chinese medicine hospital, development of the

integrated Chinese-Western medicine, the expansion of the Hong Kong Chinese

Materia Medica Standards (HKCMMS) Project as well as the setting up of a

testing centre for Chinese medicines. We have been implementing the

recommendations in phases. The latest developments include the issuance of

invitations as soon as possible to non-profit-making organisations which are

interested in developing and operating a Chinese medicine hospital at the

reserved site in Tseung Kwan O to submit expression of interest to the

Government, as well as the launching of a pilot study on the reference standard

setting for Chinese medicines decoction pieces under the HKCMMS Project.

(e) Ensuring Long-term Sustainability of Healthcare System

11. We would take steps to establish a new regulatory regime for private

healthcare facilities through consultation with stakeholders on technical details,

with a view to introducing the relevant Bill to the Legislative Council in the

2016/17 legislative session.

(f) Disease Prevention and Control

12. The problem of antimicrobial resistance is now a burning concern

among the public health authorities around the world. To address the issue,

actions taken by the healthcare sector alone is not enough. Concerted efforts

from different stakeholders including the general public are imperative to the

success of the control. In this regard, we shall set up a high-level steering

committee to be chaired by the Secretary for Food and Health to tackle the

threat of antimicrobial resistance to public health. The committee will

comprise representatives from various sectors which include the relevant

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government departments, public and private hospitals, healthcare facilities and

relevant professional bodies (will not be confined to medical sector). With a

concerted effort of its members, the committee will adopt the “One-Health

Concept” in the formulation and implementation of strategies and action plans

against antimicrobial resistance from various aspects.

13. The seasonal influenza poses a recurrent challenge to our people’s

health and the healthcare system. To relieve the pressure of seasonal influenza

and its complications on the public healthcare system, we have conducted a

pilot project to expand the scope of free/subsidised vaccination in 2015/16:

(i) to expand the scope of the Government Vaccination Programme to

provide free seasonal influenza vaccination for all elders aged 65

or above and eligible persons with intellectual disability; and

(ii) to expand the scope of the Vaccination Subsidy Schemes to cover

persons with intellectual disability.

The above measures will be regularised starting from 2016/17.

14 . We would invite the Community Care Fund (CCF) to consider

implementing a pilot scheme to provide teenage girls from eligible low-income

families with free cervical cancer vaccination.

(g) Healthcare Manpower Planning and Professional Development

15. In response to the challenges of an ageing population and increasing

demand for healthcare services with higher expectations, in 2012, the

Government set up a steering committee chaired by the Secretary for Food and

Health to conduct a strategic review on healthcare manpower planning and

professional development in Hong Kong (the Review). The Review covers 13

healthcare professions which are subject to statutory regulation, including

doctors, dentists and dental hygienists, Chinese medicine practitioners, nurses,

midwives, pharmacists, chiropractors and healthcare professions covered by the

Supplementary Medical Professions Ordinance i.e. medical laboratory

technologists, occupational therapists, optometrists, physiotherapists and

radiographers. The Review aims to make recommendations that would better

enable us to meet the projected demand for healthcare professionals as well as

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foster professional development with a view to ensuring healthy and sustainable

development of our healthcare system and the continued provision of quality

healthcare services to the public.

16. To assist the Steering Committee in making informed

recommendations, we commissioned the University of Hong Kong (HKU) and

The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) to provide professional input

and technical support to the Review. We also set up six consultative

sub-groups under the Steering Committee to hear and consolidate views from

the healthcare professions.

17. On manpower projection, the HKU has developed a generic

forecasting model that suits the local circumstances and is adaptable to

changing parameters to cater for utilisation parameters peculiar to individual

professions in forecasting manpower demand and supply of the 13 healthcare

professions. The HKU is finalising the manpower projections for all

professions under the Review.

18. The Steering Committee is reviewing the regulatory regimes for

healthcare professionals, and will make recommendations on the way forward

based on the findings of the CUHK including the prevalent international

practices which gear towards more transparency and accountability as well as

greater public participation, local circumstances of Hong Kong including public

aspirations and concerns, as well as the history and development of statutory

regulatory bodies. Key areas that would be looked into include –

(i) functions of the statutory regulatory bodies;

(ii) membership of the statutory regulatory bodies, in particular, the

number and proportion of lay members;

(iii) admission of non-locally trained healthcare professionals;

(iv) complaint handling and disciplinary inquiries mechanisms; and

(v) training and development, in particular, mandatory continuous

professional education and development.

19. We expect that the Review will be completed in the first half of 2016.

The public is most concerned about proposals related to doctors to which we

will accord first priority. In response to the mounting public concerns over the

efficiency of the Medical Council of Hong Kong (MCHK) in complaint

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investigation and disciplinary inquiries as well as its lack of flexibility for the

admission of non-locally trained doctors, pending the completion of the Review

and in advance of the implementation of the full recommendations of the

Review, the Government plans to introduce a bill into the Legislative Council in

the first quarter of 2016 to amend the Medical Registration Ordinance. The

Amendment Bill seeks to increase the number of lay members in the MCHK

from four to eight, improve the MCHK’s complaint investigation and

disciplinary inquiry mechanism; and enhance its administrative flexibility in

admitting non-locally trained doctors to meet local demand.

20. To meet the anticipated demand for healthcare manpower, the

Government will, based on the preliminary findings of the Review, increase the

number of publicly-funded degree places in medicine, dentistry and other

healthcare disciplines by 50, 20 and 68 respectively in the 2016/17-2018/19

triennium. To facilitate more non-locally trained doctors to practise in Hong

Kong, the MCHK has introduced more flexibility to the relevant internship

requirement since 2016. Under the new arrangement, any person who has

passed the Licensing Examination can apply for exemption from a specialty of

internship training if he/she has a comparable specialist experience. The

internship period could be shortened from one year to six months. The Dental

Council of Hong Kong and the Nursing Council of Hong Kong will also

increase the frequency of the Licensing Examination from once to twice a year

since 2016 to facilitate more non-locally trained dentists and nurses to practise

in Hong Kong.

21. To alleviate the doctor manpower shortage problem, the HA will

continue to recruit non-locally trained doctors by way of limited registration.

The HA has also extended the retirement age of new recruits whose

employment commencement date is on or after 1 June 2015 from 60 to 65. In

addition, the HA launched a time-limited rehiring scheme in 2015/16 to

re-employ suitable retirees of those grades and disciplines which are facing a

severe staff shortage problem.

22. The Government will also launch a voluntary accredited registers

scheme for healthcare personnel who are currently not subject to statutory

regulation.

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(h) Mental Health Policy

23. We would implement a three-year territory-wide public education and

promotion campaign in the light of the recommendations of the Review

Committee on Mental Health chaired by the Secretary for Food and Health to

promote to the public the importance of mental health.

24. We would, in collaboration with the HA and the Social Welfare

Department, invite the CCF to consider implementing a two-year pilot scheme

based on a medical-social collaboration model to provide dementia care services

to the elderly persons with mild or mild to moderate dementia in the community

through the District Elderly Community Centres with a view to shortening the

waiting time of patients for diagnosis and specialist services of the HA and

enhancing dementia care services in the community.

(i) Tobacco Control

25. We would strengthen the enforcement actions in statutory no-smoking

areas by the Tobacco Control Office of the DH, including designation of new

no-smoking areas at bus interchanges located at the tunnel portal areas, and

enhance smoking cessation services.

26. In view of the emergence of electronic cigarettes, we formulate

legislative proposal in respect of the regulation of electronic cigarettes.

On-going initiatives

27. Apart from the above, we would implement a series of measures to

improve and strengthen our public healthcare services as well as the

collaboration and co-operation between the public and private healthcare sectors.

These on-going initiatives and the progress are set out in the ensuing

paragraphs.

(a) Enhancing Healthcare Service Provision

28. In order to increase capacity of our healthcare services to meet rising

demand, HA will increase the number of public hospital beds, the number of

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operating theatre sessions and the quota for endoscopy examination so as to

enhance the service capacity for addressing the ever rising healthcare needs.

29. HA will increase the quota for general out-patient consultation and

provide additional quota for emergency medicine wards to improve the waiting

time for out-patient and emergency services.

30. We are planning and implementing initiatives to promote the

development of primary care, formulating reference frameworks for specific

population groups and chronic diseases, promoting the Primary Care Directory,

and co-ordinating and planning the works projects for the establishment of

community health centres in various districts.

31. We would enhance public healthcare services through public-private

partnership to increase service volume and offer more choices to patients. HA

is implementing the following projects:

(i) procuring additional haemodialysis places for eligible end-stage

renal disease patients to receive treatment at the private community

haemodialysis centres;

(ii) enhancing radiological investigation services for selected groups of

cancer patients;

(iii) subsidising patients to receive cataract surgeries by private

ophthalmologists; and

(iv) referring eligible patients to non-governmental organisations

(NGOs) to receive structural empowerment sessions.

32. We would widen the scope of the HA Drug Formulary to enhance the

efficacy of treating various diseases.

33. On mental health services, we would strengthen the manpower of the

psychiatric healthcare team and introducing a peer support element to the Case

Management Programme for patients with severe mental illness based on the

recommendations of the Review Committee on Mental Health.

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34. We would increase the number of psychiatric beds in Siu Lam

Hospital based on the recommendations of the Review Committee on Mental

Health, with a view to clearing up cases of severe intellectual disabilities on the

waiting list in phases in the coming three years.

35. Prevention is better than cure. The Government announced in the

2014 Policy Address the study and implementation of a pilot programme to

subsidise colorectal cancer screening for specific age groups. Relevant works

are being conducted. We are planning for the launch of the Colorectal Cancer

Screening Pilot Programme in mid-2016 the earliest to provide subsidised

colorectal cancer screening in phases for eligible Hong Kong residents aged 61

to 70 within three years.

36. In light of the latest development of medical technology, DH and HA

set up a Task Force in March 2015 to plan and prepare for implementation of

the Pilot Study of Newborn Screening for Inborn Errors of Metabolism (IEM).

The Pilot Study, lasting for 18 months, was launched in two public hospitals (i.e.

Queen Elizabeth Hospital and Queen Mary Hospital)in October 2015. The

first phase of the Pilot Study (from 1 October 2015 to 31 March 2016) covers

21 IEM. In the second phase (from 1 April 2016 to 31 March 2017), the Pilot

Study will be extended to cover 24 IEM in total. The IEM selected to be

included in the Pilot Study satisfied the four criteria of screening capability,

clinical significance, availability of treatment and favourable outcome after

early treatment. It is estimated that about 10 000 babies can be screened for

IEM each year in the Pilot Study.

37. We also plan to expand the scope of the pilot General Out-patient

Clinic Public-Private Partnership Programme in Kwun Tong, Wong Tai Sin and

Tuen Mun districts to cover more chronic diseases and patients, in the light of

the result of the interim review of the programme. We will extend the

programme to all 18 districts of the territory in phases in the coming three years.

(b) Healthcare Service Development and Infrastructure

38. We have been working hard to improve our healthcare infrastructure.

The construction of the Tin Shui Wai Hospital and the Hong Kong Children’s

Hospital at Kai Tak are expected to be completed this year and next year

respectively. We have also commenced the expansion works of the United

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Christian Hospital and actively pursue the redevelopment of the Kwong Wah

Hospital, the Queen Mary Hospital and the Kwai Chung Hospital and the

extension of the Operating Theatre Block of the Tuen Mun Hospital.

39. We would continue with the minor works projects to improve

facilities in public hospitals and clinics by utilising the one-off grant of $13

billion allocated to the HA in 2014.

40. We commission the first stage of the electronic health record sharing

system which will facilitate the sharing of the electronic health records of

voluntary participants between public and private healthcare providers.

41. We would facilitate the further development of private hospitals with

a view to ensuring the healthy development of a twin-track healthcare system in

Hong Kong.

(c) Regulation of Medical Devices

42. To prepare for the establishment of a statutory regulation framework

on medical device safety in the long run, we briefed the Panel on Health

Services in June 2014 on the findings of the relevant Business Impact

Assessment. The DH subsequently commissioned an external consultant to

conduct a detailed study on the use control of selected medical devices.

Subject to the findings and recommendations of the study, we will develop

proposals for statutory regulation on the use of medical devices and report to the

Panel on the outcome of the consultancy study and the details of the legislative

proposal.

(d) Chinese Medicine

43. We would continue with the Integrated Chinese-Western Medicine

Pilot Project launched in September 2014 in seven hospitals of the HA in order

to gather experience in the operation of integrated Chinese-Western medicine

and Chinese medicine in-patient services, which will serve as the basis for

formulating the mode of operation of the Chinese medicine hospital.

Implemented in two phases, the pilot project provides treatment with integrated

Chinese-Western medicine for three disease areas, namely stroke rehabilitation

treatment, low back pain care and palliative care for cancer.

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44. We would continue to conduct review of the development of the

Chinese medicine sector through the Chinese Medicine Development

Committee to formulate strategies to raise the professional standard and status

of Chinese medicine practitioners, support research and development of Chinese

medicine, promote treatment with integrated Chinese-Western medicine,

expand the role of Chinese medicine in the Hong Kong healthcare system, and

examine the feasible mode of operation of a Chinese medicine hospital.

45. We would continue to subsidise and monitor the 18 public Chinese

medicine clinics to enhance Chinese medicine service in our public healthcare

system.

46. As announced in the 2015 Policy Address, the Government has

accepted the recommendation of the Chinese Medicine Development

Committee to set up a testing centre for Chinese medicines to be managed by

the DH. The testing centre will specialise in the testing of, and scientific

research on, Chinese medicines, with a view to setting reference standards for

the safety, quality and testing methods of Chinese medicines. The DH is

planning and developing the testing centre. Before the establishment of a

permanent testing centre for Chinese medicines, the DH will set up a temporary

testing centre for Chinese medicines which is expected to start operating in

phases from 2017.

47. The HKCMMS project was first launched in 2002 to develop

reference standards for commonly used Chinese materia medica in phases to

ensure the safe use and the quality of Chinese materia medica. We would

continue with the research work after completing the compilation of HKCMMS

for 236 Chinese materia medica commonly used in Hong Kong. Our target is

to set reference standards for around 28 Chinese materia medica each year.

(e) Ensuring Long-term Sustainability of Healthcare System

48. We would implement the Voluntary Health Insurance Scheme to

provide more choices and better protection for users of private healthcare

services.

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(f) Disease Prevention and Control

49. We would keep up our effort in disease prevention and control. We

have implemented the Prevention and Control of Disease Ordinance and

improved our infectious disease surveillance, control and notification system in

order to minimise the spread of communicable diseases in the local community.

The Centre for Health Protection under the DH will continue to maintain close

liaison and cooperation with neighbouring regions and conduct exercises on

public health emergencies from time to time. As regards other novel

infectious diseases, we announced the “Preparedness Plan for the Middle East

Respiratory Syndrome” and the “Preparedness Plan for Ebola Virus Disease”,

and activated the “Alert” response levels under the respective plans on the day

of announcement after risk assessment. We will continue to closely monitor

the situation of novel infectious diseases and review the relevant policies as

appropriate.

50. We are implementing a multi-pronged strategy under the

“Preparedness Plan for Influenza Pandemic” to minimise the risk of and

enhance Hong Kong’s preparedness for influenza pandemic. Besides, we will

continue to implement and improve the subsidy schemes for eligible children,

persons with intellectual disability and elderly people to receive seasonal

influenza and pneumococcal vaccinations, as applicable, to enhance primary

care and disease prevention.

51. We would continue to adopt a comprehensive preventive and

surveillance programme to reduce the risk of avian influenza outbreaks and

human infections in Hong Kong. We will keep the situation under review and

update the relevant policies in a timely manner.

52. With ageing population and socioeconomic changes, the burden of

non-communicable diseases (NCD) is expected to rise in the decades ahead.

We would continue implementing the Strategic Framework for Prevention and

Control of Non-communicable Diseases to promote cross-sectoral co-operation

in the prevention and control of NCD. The overall goal of the Strategy

Framework is to improve the health and quality of life of people in Hong Kong,

which will in turn increase Hong Kong’s productivity and competitiveness.

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(g) Health Promotion

53. We make progressive efforts in tobacco control through the

multi-pronged approach of publicity, promotion, education, legislation,

enforcement, taxation and smoking cessation service.

54. We would continue to promote registration on the Centralised Organ

Donation Register to the public through collaboration with relevant

organisations.

(h) Elderly Healthcare Services

55. We would continue to promote the Elderly Health Care Voucher

Scheme, which subsidises elderly people aged 70 or above to use private

primary care services, including curative, rehabilitative and preventive care

services provided by medical practitioners, Chinese medicine practitioners,

dentists, and various other healthcare professionals.

56. We would continue to implement the Outreach Dental Care

Programme for the Elderly to provide dental care and treatment for elderly

people in residential care homes and similar facilities.

57. The CCF expanded the Elderly Dental Assistance Programme in

September 2015 to cover elders who are Old Age Living Allowance recipients

in phases, starting with those aged 80 or above in the first phase.

Conclusion

58. The Food and Health Bureau’s policy objective is to safeguard public

health and ensure our medical and healthcare system maintain its high quality

services and a sustainable development. To this end, we work strenuously to

implement various measures outlined in the paper to meet the challenges of our

aging population.

Food and Health Bureau

January 2016