Chief Executive CY Leung announced in his 2017 Policy Address today a series of measures in the medical field to meet the challenges of an ageing population and the public’s rising expectations.
Among them is the provision of an additional $2 billion to the Hospital Authority in 2017-18 to increase the number of public hospital beds and operating theatre sessions, as well as enhancing the provision of emergency surgical services and other services.
To develop Chinese medicine, Mr Leung said the Government will finance the construction of a hospital on a reserved site in Tseung Kwan O to provide Chinese medicine services and select a non-profit-making organisation by tender to take forward the project.
He said state-of-the-art technology will be sought to develop internationally-recognised reference standards for Chinese medicines and related products.
The Government and the Chinese Medicine Committee will explore more pro-Chinese medicine policies and initiatives.
Other measures such as improving the Medical Council’s complaint handling mechanism, the implementation of specific measures for the Voluntary Health Insurance Scheme and expanding the scope of Government-run vaccination schemes are also being arranged.
