New health center in Taipa opens

Taipa’s second health centre finally came into service yesterday with a total of around 80 civil servants working at the unit, covering an area of 7,449 square meters, on the ground floor of the Edificio do Lago public housing complex.
Among the medical personnel of the new staff that have been hired for the centre, as Cheang Seng Ip, Deputy Director of the Health Bureau (SSM) revealed, some were employed a few years ago and placed at other health centers for training, before being sent to the current one. Meanwhile the rest gained enough experience at other health centers. However, the official stressed that the manpower displacement has caused no strain to other facilities, and that there was “no problem” in handling cases with the manpower available.
Apart from the prolonged hours of four specialized outpatient services on a three-month trial basis reported earlier, the authority raised the feasibility of making all the health centers extend opening hours to cater to citizens’ needs.
“We are now looking into which districts would not run as an experiment, as four [outpatient services] of our public hospital would start trials this July 1 in extending their opening hours,” said Alexis Tam, Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture. “And now let’s challenge the health centers as well, as we need bilateral cooperation [from both sides].”
The top official also expressed hopes that such an initiative would be well received throughout society.
The authorities once again defended the integrity of the assessment centers that dealt with public complaints over malpractice committed by public medical workers. Earlier, one citizen had complained on TDM’s call-in show that his wife almost lost their baby due to a doctor’s false diagnosis, and later wrote about it online with many claiming to have experienced similar stories. However, SSM head Lei Chin Ion stressed that the hospital welcomes any malpractice complaints, as their independent body composed of medical professionals from Hong Kong and mainland is able to assess cases impartially. Staff reporter