Investing in Healthcare

129.    Recurrent expenditure on medical and health in 2016-17 is $57 billion, accounting for 16.5 per cent of recurrent government expenditure.  This represents an increase of more than 90 per cent when compared with a decade ago.  To cope with an ageing population, Government has set aside a dedicated provision of $200 billion for a ten-year hospital development plan to enable the Hospital Authority (HA) to expand and upgrade healthcare facilities in a more flexible and long-term manner.

130.    The development plan is a vast investment.  It will provide 5 000 additional hospital beds, representing an increase of 18 per cent.  Operating theatres will increase by 40 per cent to 320.  Specialist outpatient service capacity will increase substantially by 40 per cent from 6.8 million to 10 million attendances a year.  At the district level, community health centres will be set up in Mong Kok, Shek Kip Mei and North District.  Additional services for 410 000 attendances will be provided at the general outpatient clinics each year.

131.    The development plan will cover the redevelopment and expansion of a number of hospitals including Kwong Wah Hospital, United Christian Hospital, Queen Mary Hospital, Kwai Chung Hospital, Prince of Wales Hospital, Haven of Hope Hospital, Our Lady of Maryknoll Hospital, Operating Theatre Block of Tuen Mun Hospital, North District Hospital, Lai King Building of Princess Margaret Hospital and Grantham Hospital.

132.    As for new hospital projects, an acute general hospital will be built in the Kai Tak Development Area.  The two-phased project will be commissioned in ten years and will provide 2 400 beds and facilities such as an oncology centre and the first neuroscience centre in Hong Kong.

133.    Government will allocate $10 billion to HA to set up an endowment fund to generate investment returns for enhancing public-private partnership programmes.  Government will also provide a loan of $4 billion to the Chinese University of Hong Kong for developing a non-profit making private hospital.