Health in Hong Kong
Encyclopedia
Hong Kong
's medical infrastructure consists of a mixed medical economy, with 12 private hospitals and more than 50 public hospitals. There are also polyclinic
s that offer primary care services, including dentistry.
of 85.9 for females and 80 for men, which are the second highest in the world, and 2.94 infant mortality rate, the fourth lowest in the world.
Hong Kong has high standards of medical practice. It has contributed to the development of liver transplantation
, being the first in the world to carry out adult to adult live donor liver transplant in 1993.
The Department of Health
, under the Food and Health Bureau
, is the health adviser of Hong Kong government and an executive arm in health legislation and policy. Its main role is to safeguard the health of the community through promotive, preventive, curative and rehabilitative services in Hong Kong. The main function of the department includes child assessment service, immunisation programmes
, dental service, forensic pathology
service, registration of healthcare professionals etc., though boards and councils (i.e. Medical Council of Hong Kong, Pharmacy and Poisons Board of Hong Kong) are independent statutory bodies established under the relevant ordinances that operate independently to discharge their statutory functions.
is a statutory body established on 1 December 1990 under the Hospital Authority Ordinance to manage all 38 public hospitals and institutions in Hong Kong. It is mainly responsible for delivering a comprehensive range of secondary and tertiary specialist care and medical rehabilitation through its network of health care facilities. The Authority also provides some primary medical services in 74 primary care clinics.
) and the other with the Chinese University of Hong Kong
. Medical graduates obtain the MBChB or MBBS
, based upon the British model. There are also schools of nursing
, both public and private, and training for professions allied to medicine, including a school dedicated to dentistry
and pharmacy
.
. All 12 private hospitals are "Trent Hospitals", having been surveyed and accredited by the United Kingdom
's Trent Accreditation Scheme
. The Hong Kong Academy of Medicine is an independent institution with the statutory power to organise, monitor, assess and accredit all medical specialist training and to oversee the provision of continuing medical education in Hong Kong. In addition, The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada
has also accredited the postgraduate medical education (1994–present) in Hong Kong and allowed these graduates from the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine seeking RCPSC Certification and practising in Canada
.
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
's medical infrastructure consists of a mixed medical economy, with 12 private hospitals and more than 50 public hospitals. There are also polyclinic
Polyclinic
Polyclinics in England are intended to offer a far greater range of services than can be offered by current general practitioner practices and local health centres. In addition to traditional GP services they would offer extended urgent care, healthy living services, community mental health...
s that offer primary care services, including dentistry.
Overview
Hong Kong is one of the healthiest places in the world. Because of its early health education, professional health services, and well-developed health care and medication system, Hongkongers enjoy a life expectancyLife expectancy
Life expectancy is the expected number of years of life remaining at a given age. It is denoted by ex, which means the average number of subsequent years of life for someone now aged x, according to a particular mortality experience...
of 85.9 for females and 80 for men, which are the second highest in the world, and 2.94 infant mortality rate, the fourth lowest in the world.
Hong Kong has high standards of medical practice. It has contributed to the development of liver transplantation
Liver transplantation
Liver transplantation or hepatic transplantation is the replacement of a diseased liver with a healthy liver allograft. The most commonly used technique is orthotopic transplantation, in which the native liver is removed and replaced by the donor organ in the same anatomic location as the original...
, being the first in the world to carry out adult to adult live donor liver transplant in 1993.
Department of Health
Department of Health (Hong Kong)
Hong Kong's Department of Health is responsible for healthcare policies and the provision of basic healthcare services. The public hospitals are managed by the Department's Hospital Authority...
, under the Food and Health Bureau
Food and Health Bureau
Food and Health Bureau is a government bureau that manages health programmes and immunisation programmes in Hong Kong.It oversees policies on food and health issues. The Department of Health, Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, and the...
, is the health adviser of Hong Kong government and an executive arm in health legislation and policy. Its main role is to safeguard the health of the community through promotive, preventive, curative and rehabilitative services in Hong Kong. The main function of the department includes child assessment service, immunisation programmes
Immunisation Programme in Hong Kong
In order to protect infants and children from serious infectious diseases, the Department of Health of Hong Kong provides a free comprehensive childhood immunisation programme to Hongkongers over all the Maternal & Child Health Centres.-References:...
, dental service, forensic pathology
Forensic pathology
Forensic pathology is a branch of pathology concerned with determining the cause of death by examination of a corpse. The autopsy is performed by the pathologist at the request of a coroner or medical examiner usually during the investigation of criminal law cases and civil law cases in some...
service, registration of healthcare professionals etc., though boards and councils (i.e. Medical Council of Hong Kong, Pharmacy and Poisons Board of Hong Kong) are independent statutory bodies established under the relevant ordinances that operate independently to discharge their statutory functions.
Hospital Authority
The Hospital AuthorityHospital Authority
The Hospital Authority is a statutory body managing all the public hospitals and institutes in Hong Kong. It is managed by the Hospital Authority Board and is under the monitor of the Secretary for Food and Health of the Hong Kong Government. Its chairman is Mr...
is a statutory body established on 1 December 1990 under the Hospital Authority Ordinance to manage all 38 public hospitals and institutions in Hong Kong. It is mainly responsible for delivering a comprehensive range of secondary and tertiary specialist care and medical rehabilitation through its network of health care facilities. The Authority also provides some primary medical services in 74 primary care clinics.
Medical schools
Hong Kong has two medical schools, one with the University of Hong Kong (the Li Ka Shing Faculty of MedicineLi Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine
The Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong is the older of the two medical schools in Hong Kong , and is among the oldest in the Far East.-History:...
) and the other with the Chinese University of Hong Kong
Chinese University of Hong Kong
The Chinese University of Hong Kong is a research-led university in Hong Kong.CUHK is the only tertiary education institution in Hong Kong with Nobel Prize winners on its faculty, including Chen Ning Yang, James Mirrlees, Robert Alexander Mundell and Charles K. Kao...
. Medical graduates obtain the MBChB or MBBS
MBBS
MBBS was a popular BBS system in the Nordic countries during the mid-1990s. It was created by a team of Oslo-based enthusiasts, led by Mike Robertson. As many BBS systems of that era, it was only available for the DOS platform. Since one process could only handle one node, multitaskers such as...
, based upon the British model. There are also schools of nursing
Nursing
Nursing is a healthcare profession focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life from conception to death....
, both public and private, and training for professions allied to medicine, including a school dedicated to dentistry
Dentistry
Dentistry is the branch of medicine that is involved in the study, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases, disorders and conditions of the oral cavity, maxillofacial area and the adjacent and associated structures and their impact on the human body. Dentistry is widely considered...
and pharmacy
Pharmacy
Pharmacy is the health profession that links the health sciences with the chemical sciences and it is charged with ensuring the safe and effective use of pharmaceutical drugs...
.
Private Healthcare
Hong Kong's 13 private hospitals have partnered with the United Kingdom for international healthcare accreditationInternational healthcare accreditation
Due to the near-universal desire for quality healthcare, there is a growing interest in international healthcare accreditation. Providing healthcare, especially of an adequate standard, is a complex and challenging process...
. All 12 private hospitals are "Trent Hospitals", having been surveyed and accredited by the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
's Trent Accreditation Scheme
Trent Accreditation Scheme
The Trent Accreditation Scheme , , was a British accreditation scheme formed with a mission to maintain and continually evaluate standards of quality, especially in health care delivery, through the surveying and accreditation of health care organisations, especially...
. The Hong Kong Academy of Medicine is an independent institution with the statutory power to organise, monitor, assess and accredit all medical specialist training and to oversee the provision of continuing medical education in Hong Kong. In addition, The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada
Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada
The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada ' , French: Collège royal des médecins et chirurgiens du Canada, is a national, private, nonprofit organization established in 1929 by a special Act of Parliament to oversee the medical education of specialists in Canada...
has also accredited the postgraduate medical education (1994–present) in Hong Kong and allowed these graduates from the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine seeking RCPSC Certification and practising in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
See also
- List of hospitals in Hong Kong
- Immunisation Programme in Hong KongImmunisation Programme in Hong KongIn order to protect infants and children from serious infectious diseases, the Department of Health of Hong Kong provides a free comprehensive childhood immunisation programme to Hongkongers over all the Maternal & Child Health Centres.-References:...
- Medical education in Hong KongMedical education in Hong KongMedical education in Hong Kong is concerned with both the basic training of medical practitioners and further post-graduate training.-Medical school:...
> Faculties of Medicines in Hong KongFaculties of Medicines in Hong KongBefore the handover of Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China in 1997, medical education in this former British colony traditionally and exclusively followed the path of western medicine... - Auxiliary Medical Service
- Health Info WorldHealth Info WorldHealth Info World, established in January 1999, is the health promotion and publicity section of the Hong Kong Hospital Authority. Charity donations from fundraising events are the main sources to support the ongoing health programs....
- Hong Kong Society of Medical InformaticsHong Kong Society of Medical InformaticsThe Hong Kong Society of Medical Informatics, founded in April 1987 by a group of medical practitioners and informatics professionals with special interests in medical informatics and computing and communications....
- Hong Kong College of PsychiatristsHong Kong College of PsychiatristsThe Hong Kong College of Psychiatrists is a member College of the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine...
- Hong Kong Museum of Medical SciencesHong Kong Museum of Medical SciencesThe Hong Kong Museum of Medical Sciences was established in 1996, and is located in a renovated 3-storey Edwardian-style building, at 2 Caine Lane at the Mid-levels, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong...
- Personal Emergency LinkPersonal Emergency LinkThe Personal Emergency Link was established by Senior Citizen Home Safe Association to launch a 24-hour personal emergency link to help the needy in Hong Kong.-Background:...
- Air Pollution IndexAir Pollution IndexThe Air Pollution Index is a simple and generalized way to describe the air quality in mainland China, Hong Kong and Malaysia. It is calculated from several sets of air pollution data.-Mainland China:...
- Smoking in Hong KongSmoking in Hong KongSmoking in public in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has been banned from 1 January 2007 under the government's revised Smoking Ordinance , first enacted in 1982 with several amendments subsequently...