Secretary for Health visits Tin Shui Wai (Tin Yip Road) Community Health Centre (with photos)

     The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, visited the Tin Shui Wai (Tin Yip Road) Community Health Centre (CHC) this afternoon (July 20) to get a better grasp of the operation of the CHC and how its services are complementing the Government's policy initiatives in enhancing primary healthcare development.
 
     Accompanied by the Chief Executive of the Hospital Authority (HA), Dr Tony Ko, and the Cluster Chief Executive of New Territories West Cluster of the HA, Dr Wong Yiu-chung, Professor Lo received an introduction by CHC staff on the primary healthcare services (including general out-patient services, treatment for episodic illnesses and chronic diseases, and nursing services) as well as the pharmaceutical services available at the CHC.
 
     Professor Lo was delighted to learn that the Tin Shui Wai (Tin Yip Road) CHC, which is the city's first CHC designed to fit the Government's primary healthcare development strategy and service model, has been striving to provide citizens with integrated multi-disciplinary medical, nursing and allied health services since its commencement in 2012. Their services strengthen the support to patients' daily healthcare at the community level and minimise their need for hospitalisation, thereby alleviating the pressure on the public healthcare system.
 
     The CHCs under the HA generally provide services including medical consultations as well as health risk assessments and specific care services delivered by multi-disciplinary teams for patients with chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension, with a view to reducing the risk of complications and medical attention needs of chronic patients. Healthcare professionals of the CHCs also offer other services such as wound care, fall risk assessment and management, smoking cessation counselling and dietetic advice. Moreover, patient empowerment services and facilities are available at the CHCs to assist patients to utilise community resources and strengthen their ability in disease management.
 
     Professor Lo pointed out that the ageing population and increasing prevalence of chronic diseases in Hong Kong have exerted considerable pressure on the public healthcare system. The Primary Healthcare Blueprint released in December last year highlights a series of reform measures to ramp up primary healthcare services in Hong Kong. It is the Government's aim to shift the emphasis of the healthcare system from its current treatment-oriented, hospital-based structure to a prevention-focused, community-based system.
 
     To this end, the Government will launch the Chronic Disease Co-Care Pilot Scheme (CDCC Scheme) later this year. Adopting a government-participant co-payment model, the CDCC Scheme will enable Hong Kong residents aged 45 or above to enjoy personalised, convenient and time-saving private primary healthcare services in a pleasant environment at affordable prices, thus releasing public healthcare resources as well as enabling the public healthcare system to focus on being the basic safety net for the public to provide more quality services to socially disadvantaged groups.