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Policy Address

Public Hospital Services

83. Public hospital services are the backbone of our healthcare system. To enhance the services on various fronts, we will:

  1. reduce the waiting time for specialist out-patient services – The Hospital Authority (HA) will adopt a multi-pronged approach, including to (1) allocate more resources for new cases; (2) streamline referral arrangements for cross-specialty cases; (3) set up integrated clinics to provide multi-disciplinary support to minimise patients' waiting time for multiple specialists; and (4) enhance downloading of patients in stable condition to primary healthcare. The target is to reduce the waiting time of stable new case bookings for the specialty of Medicine by 20% in the next financial year (2023-24);

  2. improve patient experience – The HA will provide more convenience for patients by making wider use of telehealth services and introducing a new service model for drug collection and delivery;

  3. enhance healthcare services – The HA will establish the Integrated Neuroscience Centres and Cardiovascular Diseases Centres to provide integrated services for patients requiring multi-disciplinary professional support. It will also establish the Uncommon Disorders Registry and foster collaboration with the national network and the Hong Kong Genome Institute, and set up the Poison Control Centre to enhance poison control and treatment services;

  4. strengthen hospital infrastructure – We will press ahead with the First Ten-year Hospital Development Plan (HDP), adding about 4 600 beds and about 80 operating theatres in the next five years. The Second Ten-year HDP will include the development of a hospital network in the Northern Metropolis; and

  5. promote eHealth – We will explore mandating the upload of more types of health records by legislation, with a view to further transforming eHealth into a key infrastructure integrating public and private healthcare systems.