Medical room at Islands Hospital
Lawmaker Zheng Anting has called on the government to consider the needs of the residents of Coloane, namely the elderly, by allowing them to use the new Islands Hospital. The hospital is expected to commence operations late this year as a common public hospital.
Zheng’s call was made at the Legislative Assembly in a spoken inquiry delivered before the plenary session earlier this week.
The lawmakers noted that, in recent years, several public and private housing developments have been built in Coloane, which resulted in a population explosion in that area.
Zheng, citing statistical data, said that in a period of 10 years, between 2011 and 2021, the number of residents of Coloane increased by 754%, reaching 36,384, a fact that puts even more pressure on the healthcare facilities of that area, which were already struggling.
Citing complaints mostly from residents of the Seac Pai Van public housing estate, Zheng said that the medical services provided by the Healthcare Center of Seac Pai Van are limited and that many of the residents need additional services that can only be provided at the public hospital, which is very far from residents and where transportation is inconvenient.
Zheng said that is not only their hope, but a promise from previous governments that the construction of the Islands hospital had the purpose to provide, among others, better specialty and emergency health care to the residents of Coloane and Taipa, a promise that seems to have been forgotten, as the government is changing the purpose of the long overdue medical unit to a commercial purpose, according to the lawmaker.
The lawmaker suggests the government create a special “green lane” for the residents of Coloane to be able to access medical care at the facility just like in the public hospital without need of a reference from the Health Bureau.
