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Plan takes 'low-risk' patients out of hospitals

Patients' rights group accuses medical chief of 'passing the buck' to agencies

Chronic patients deemed 'low risk' will be transferred from specialist to general clinics and non-government welfare agencies for aftercare under a plan by one public hospital cluster to ease its workload.

The plan by the New Territories West Cluster is in line with the move towards a family medicine network outlined in the government's latest consultation paper on health reform. But it was criticised by a patients' rights group as 'passing the buck'.

Cluster chief executive Albert Lo Chi-yuen said the hospitals had linked up with welfare agencies that offer rehabilitation services, including the Community Rehabilitation Network and Yan Oi Tong.

They will teach patients - deemed to be low risk by public doctors - the necessary skills to manage their diseases at home.

Dr Lo said public hospitals would not directly provide medical staff, but instead consult with the agencies which would be required to report on patients' conditions every three months.

Patients will visit general outpatient clinics instead of specialist clinics for regular check-ups and assessments.

The plan will cover patients with six main chronic diseases: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes, lower back pain, and depression and anxiety.

Andrew Ho Yiu-yan, head of the cluster's endocrinology and diabetes services, said diabetes patients would learn to test their own blood sugar and inject insulin at home.

There are four hospitals under the cluster: Tuen Mun, Pok Oi, Siu Lam and Castle Peak.

Dr Lo said patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cardiovascular disease and stroke took up most hospital wards.

He admitted that the new move could help ease the shortage of hospital beds and shorten the queues for specialist clinics.

But the cluster chief executive did not say how many more frontline medical workers would be hired to handle the expected increase in workload at general outpatient clinics.

Patients Rights Association spokesman Ho Hei-wah accused the hospital chief of 'passing the buck' to the agencies.

Mr Ho warned that the Hospital Authority's community network was not ready for the plan and it would only put patients' lives at risk.

'Chronic patients' health condition can deteriorate rapidly. Public hospitals are acting irresponsibly by passing their work to the welfare agencies.

'We are furious that the Hospital Authority did not consult the public or patients' groups before giving the go-head to one of the clusters for the plan,' he said.

Dr Lo said the plan was in line with the government proposal for medical reforms released last month.

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