An AI-assisted speech therapy system owned by the Health Bureau (SSM) has seen over 13,000 users, with 1,200 children having used it between March 2022 and June 2023.
The data was released by director of SSM Alvis Lo in response to lawmaker Pereira Coutinho’s written inquiry on the availability of speech therapy in Macau. The official added that in 2016 and 2017, the government set up a children’s comprehensive assessment center and a children’s rehabilitation and therapy center. They have catered to the screening, assessment, therapy and rehabilitation needs of children with developmental disorders aged between 0 and six years.
In addition, Lo said that SSM has introduced an AI-assisted speech therapy system, to allow needy children to receive constant online rehabilitation training.
In terms of training speech therapists, the official said that Macao Polytechnic University started offering a topical Bachelor degree program in the 2017/2018 academic year. A total of 58 students have graduated from the program. In the imminent academic year, 20 new students are expected in the program.
Lo also assured that with electronic methodologies, his bureau guarantees that the first consultation and the conclusion of assessment will not happen later than four weeks and eight weeks after the first intervention.
In another inquiry, lawmaker Nick Lei asked the government about its decision on the parking lot at the new Central Library. Earlier, director of Culture Leong Wai Man said no public parking lot will be built at the new facility, given the small size of the land plot.
In response, citing the Transport Bureau, acting director for Culture Cheang Kai Meng explained said the land plot of the future library is L shaped and the elevation means that a slope as long as 60 meters is needed for traffic. The slope will also take up 200 square meters.
He added that the design team has trialed several plans and even with the best plan, a two-story parking lot will only hold a maximum of 33 light vehicles, not taking into account the compliance with traffic regulations that may pose further challenges.
In contrast to previous disclosures, Cheang said that analysis is still being conducted and no decision has been made yet.
Another inquiry by lawmaker Leong Sun Iok investigated the government’s expenditure on office rentals. The director of Finance, Iong Kong Leong, said the government has recorded dropping rental expenditures for four years in a row. In fact, the spending on rental for December of each year from 2019 to 2022 has fallen from MOP70 million to MOP57 million. For May this year, the government has spent MOP54 million on rental of office and storage spaces. Iong expects the amount will continue to fall as the government is set to gradually relocate its offices and storage to self-owned premises.
In addition, Iong said the government has or will have office or mixed-use premises in New Urban Zone A, ZAPE, NAPE and Cotai. All of them will equate to a total space of 130,000 square meters.
