Press Releases
SFH speaks on Shared Care Programme
Following is the transcript of remarks (English portion) by the Secretary
for Food and Health, Dr York Chow, at a media session after attending the
Shared Care Programme Launching Ceremony today (March 8):
Reporter: How to attract the patients to join this programme?
Secretary for Food and Health: First of all, the first question should
actually ask the patients themselves and we have some representatives here
today. They are existing patients of the specialist out-patient clinic of
the Prince of Wales Hospital. The reason why we introduce this particular
programme is to achieve a continuity of care. Many patients in our
specialist out-patient clinics, they are properly followed up by different
doctors every time they go to the clinics. Although they have reasonable
care with very low fees being collected, and yet many of them still go to
the private doctors to receive further consultations. So the reason why we
introduce this programme is for those who are already doing it, or who are
willing to do it, will be able to have an affordable continuity of care in
the private sector. It does not mean that the specialist out-patient clinics
would not be looking after them. They still go back there every year for
assessment and also further check-up. In case they require any further
investigations like imaging or laboratory tests, they still can be conducted
at the Hospital Authority. The advantage of course is they can pick whatever
doctors they like and also pick the time of consultation. Especially for
people who are working, they can sometimes pick the evenings or weekends
when the doctors' clinics are open. So these are the advantages of the
programme. We are not intending to subsidise all the costs because each
individual patient should also shoulder some of the costs of care and it is
also one way of ensuring appropriate care and appropriate delivery of care
can be given without any moral hazards. Another important point is we have
the electronic health record system which we can monitor the programme of
care and also the type of treatment given by individual private doctors.
Whether they are following the protocols set up by the experts in terms of
different diseases like hypertension and diabetes, or whether they have
introduced any new type of treatment as that is appropriate.
Reporter: (On the project)
Secretary for Food and Health: We have earmarked funding for about 20,000
patients, so in addition to the New Territories East cluster, the programme
will be also expanding to other clusters in phases. But we'll see what the
first three or four months will be like in terms of the response from the
patients, and also whether the programme is successful in the initial stage,
and whether we need to readjust some of the criteria and so on.
Reporter: How do you define successful?
Secretary for Food and Health: Again the first thing is whether the
programme will appeal to the public and whether more people are being
registered for this particular service. I am sure that with the current
planning and design, there will be substantial interest of patients to be
enrolled in this programme.
(Please also refer to the
Chinese portion of the transcript)
Ends/Monday, March 8, 2010
Issued at HKT 18:42
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