About one in eight people in Hong Kong receive long-term medical treatment for a chronic disease, a government survey has found.
According to the Census and Statistics Department, about 882,700 peoples or 13 per cent of the population require consultation or medication lasting at least six months. A separate survey found that there are 269,500 people with one or more disability, including sight, hearing or speech difficulties, restrictions on mobility, mental illness or autism.
The most common types of chronic disease in Hong Kong are high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease. Respiratory and digestive system diseases were fourth and fifth.
Michael Mak Kwok-fung, the legislator representing the health services sector, said: 'My impression is that the health of the local population is quite all right in general.
'And considering that we're only spending around four per cent of our GDP in medical expenses, the performance of the health care system is pretty good.'
He said it was impossible to make a wide-ranging comparison of the health of Hong Kong with other developed countries.
'We usually compare the infant mortality rate and the life expectancy with other countries, and Hong Kong is doing quite well in this regard,' Mr Mak said.