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Coronavirus pandemic
Business
Chiu Kam-kuen
Chiu Kam-kuen

Concrete Analysis | Make Hong Kong’s stretched health care system an indispensable part of urban planning

  • Covid-19 outbreak has stretched the city’s medical capacity, requiring urgent enhancement to meet current and future needs
  • Apart from redevelopment of existing hospitals, new ones should also address public health care needs in tandem with housing shortage

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A medical worker walks on a bridge joining two buildings in the grounds of Princess Margaret Hospital in Hong Kong. It is among several public hospitals undergoing redevelopment to support future health care demands in the city. Photo: AFP
Chiu Kam-kuen
Aside from the construction of residential units, large-scale planning with vision is momentous in achieving a holistic city development. Thus, the provision of essential facilities and infrastructure plays an irreplaceable role in enhancing the livability of Hong Kong where land resources are scarce.
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In respect to medical services and facilities, the Covid-19 outbreak has further proved that the capacity has already reached the critical point, and enhancement of the medical system in the city is desperately needed, lest more lives are placed in peril.

It is anticipated that the demand for public health care services remains huge in future, even after the pandemic, due to the city’s ageing population. Unfortunately, progress in expanding public hospitals to meet current needs is way behind the schedule.

According to the Audit Commission Report, the redevelopment of Caritas Medical Centre (Phase 2) has been delayed for two to three years, along with a 34 per cent budget overrun to HK$1.72 billion (US$222 million). The Queen Mary Hospital, meanwhile, is under redevelopment and will not come into operation until 2024.

An elderly man walks up the stairs in Sham Shui Po. The city’s ageing population will exert growing pressure on the health care system. Photo: Edmond So
An elderly man walks up the stairs in Sham Shui Po. The city’s ageing population will exert growing pressure on the health care system. Photo: Edmond So
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The maturity of private hospitals development in the city can hardly replace the vitality of the public health care system, which serves as the foundation for medical research and professional training.

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