Comprehensive measures will be put in place to consolidate and enhance Hong Kong's position as a prime medical centre in the region, Chief Executive Donald Tsang says.

In his 2008-09 Policy Address today, Mr Tsang said the Government is finding suitable sites for development of private hospitals, including Wong Chuk Hang, Tseung Kwan O, Tai Po and North Lantau. Policies will be formulated to ensure the premiums for such land are fair to the hospitals and the public.

The Government will discuss with the healthcare sector ways to strengthen local medical practitioners' professional competence in line with international standards.

There will be a series of pilot measures to promote public-private partnership, including purchasing primary care services and hospital services from the private sector, subsidising the public for preventive care provided by the private sector, and establishing medical centres of excellence in paediatrics and neuroscience.

Comprehensive primary care

The Secretary for Food & Health will form the Working Group on Primary Care to take forward basic primary care service models focusing on preventive care and a primary care register based on the family-doctor concept.

To provide comprehensive primary services in local communities, and to cater for the healthcare needs of the elderly and the under-privileged, the Government will explore a primary care delivery model based on the community health centre concept, to co-ordinate the efforts of different service units in the delivery of primary-care services.

Depending on communities' different needs, service units can include general outpatient services, outreach community healthcare services, nurse clinic services, allied health services, and specialist services for relatively simple cases.

To help chronic disease patients, health-risk assessments will be conducted for high-risk patients. Self-care education will be provided and a pilot scheme implemented to subsidise chronic patients to receive comprehensive treatment, follow-up and care support from private practitioners.

Multi-disciplinary teams will be formed at designated general out-patient clinics to provide chronic patients with integrated care.