Missing man in Kwai Chung located
A man who went missing in Kwai Chung was located. Lai Wai-tak, aged 43, went missing after he left his residence in Kwai Shing West Estate on April 21. His family made a report to Police on… read more
A man who went missing in Kwai Chung was located. Lai Wai-tak, aged 43, went missing after he left his residence in Kwai Shing West Estate on April 21. His family made a report to Police on… read more
Hong Kong Customs today (June 13) seized about 200 000 suspected illicit cigarettes with an estimated market value of about $500,000 and a duty potential of about $400,000 at Man Kam To Control Point. &… read more
The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, visited Sham Shui Po District this afternoon (June 13). Apart from meeting with members of the Sham Shui Po District Council (SSPDC), he also called on an organisation and a platform … read more
Following is a question by the Dr Hon Elizabeth Quat and a written reply by the Secretary for Food and Health, Professor Sophia Chan, in the Legislative Council today (June 13):
Question:
Some studies have pointed out that women who have experienced miscarriage often have various negative emotions, such as self-blame, fear, depression and anxiety. However, members of the public in general do not understand much about the needs of women who have suffered a miscarriage and their families, and the Government has failed to provide appropriate support to those people. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the number of miscarriage cases in each of the past 10 years; whether the Government will proactively provide the following information to women who have suffered a miscarriage and their families: follow-up medical procedures after having miscarriage, approaches and procedure for handling abortuses, the rights of the parents of abortuses, and matters requiring attention after having miscarriage and related support services; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(2) whether it will establish a website to provide comprehensive knowledge and information about miscarriage to enable members of the public to learn how to console relatives and friends who have suffered a miscarriage and their families; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(3) whether it will allocate additional resources to provide support for women who have suffered a miscarriage (including a counselling hotline and home visit service); if so, of the details and the timetable; if not, the reasons for that;
(4) whether it has issued work guidelines to medical staff and social workers as well as provided them with training on counselling skills, to enable them to express appropriate care for women who have suffered a miscarriage and their families; if not, of the reasons for that;
(5) as some studies have revealed that alternative medicine, such as massage, psychological counselling and herbal medicine, may relieve symptoms of depression and anxiety experienced by women who have suffered a miscarriage, whether the Government will allocate funds for studying the development of services on alternative medicine, and whether it will, by making reference to the practice of hospitals in the United Kingdom, provide medical certification to parents of abortuses of less than 24 weeks’ gestation to facilitate them to arrange burial for the abortuses and, upon request, provide parents of abortuses of late miscarriages (of 14 to 24 weeks’ gestation) with photos as well as hand and foot prints of the abortuses for commemorative purpose; if so, of the details and the timetable; if not, the reasons for that; and
(6) as the Government has indicated that for abortuses of less than 24 weeks’ gestation, where feasible and provided that relevant legal requirements and such conditions as public health have been met, the Hospital Authority (HA) will allow the parents concerned to claim the abortuses, whether it knows the criteria adopted by HA for determining the “feasible” conditions; whether the Government will expeditiously amend the legislation and simplify the relevant procedure so as to allow parents of abortuses of less than 24 weeks’ gestation to claim the abortuses as quickly as possible for arranging burial; if so, of the details and the timetable; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
My reply to the various parts of the question raised by the Dr Hon Elizabeth Quat is as follows:
(1) to (5) The table below sets out the number of discharges of inpatients admitted for abortion annually from 2007 to 2016:
Year | Number of discharges of inpatients admitted for abortion * |
2007 | 10 186 |
2008 | 10 648 |
2009 | 10 147 |
2010 | 10 374 |
2011 | 11 696 |
2012 | 12 130 |
2013 | 9 817 |
2014 | 9 539 |
2015 | 9 271 |
2016 | 9 166 |
Two men and a woman were fined from $2,000 to $6,000 at the Kowloon City Magistrates’ Courts today (June 13) for contravening the Clubs (Safety of Premises) Ordinance.
The courts heard that in November last year, officers from the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA) of the Home Affairs Department conducted inspections at three clubs on Nathan Road, Dundas Street and Portland Street in Kowloon which had been operating with certificates of compliance (CoCs).
During the investigation in the club on Nathan Road, the OLA officers posed as customers and patronised the club for food and drinks without being asked to show their membership status or being invited to join the club as members. Also, the club was found to have a layout that deviated from the registered drawings and the number of people at the club during the inspection exceeded the maximum allowable capacity as stipulated in the CoC. Conditions 3, 6 and 19 of the CoC were breached.
The club on Dundas Street also served non-members. Condition 19 of the CoC was breached.
The club on Portland Street served non-members and the OLA officers also found that the exit route had been obstructed. Conditions 12 and 19 of the CoC were breached.
The men and the woman, being the CoC holders of the clubs, were charged with contravening section 21(2) of the Ordinance.
A spokesman for the department reminded all CoC holders to comply with the conditions as stipulated therein. Enforcement action will continue to be taken against illegal club operations. read more