Chief Executive’s Report
The Hospital Authority (HA) made significant achievements on improving access, upgrading efficiency, enhancing quality measures, and contributing to sustainability in 2012 despite a challenging operating environment characterised by mounting service demand and manpower shortage.
HA served 80,000 people per day on average during the year. This remarkable number will grow in the years ahead in light of complex healthcare needs due to aging population, growing prevalence of chronic illnesses and continuing threat of contagious disease outbreaks. The changing social landscape of Hong Kong constitutes growing demand on HA, making quality service, operational efficiency and manpower supply high priority issues in 2012-13.
Amidst all these challenges, our expanded community-based care programmes and improved diagnostic services helped reduce pressure on inpatient services. Together with notable strategies such as improving resource allocation, employing new service delivery models and enhancing staff working conditions, it further enhanced our ability to provide affordable and quality healthcare services. Enhanced collaboration with private-sector partners and the pilot
cross-cluster referral arrangements helped improve satisfaction of
the public.
With the government’s continuing support, we were able to invest in new facilities, equipment and technology, as well as carry out our hospital redevelopment and expansion plans during the year. We also enhanced risk management and contingency plans, expanded drug formulary as well as achieved further hospital accreditation. These all contributed to creating a safer and high quality environment for the delivery of public hospital service in the 21st century.
Manpower shortfalls negatively affected morale, recruitment, as well as retention of well-qualified professionals. To alleviate pressure in understaffed areas, reduce frontline workload and retain talented individuals, we offered more incentives by creating new promotion posts and providing more local and overseas training opportunities. We stepped up recruitment initiatives for full-time and part-time doctors, hired more supporting staff and employed a number of non-local doctors under limited registration in specialties with particularly acute shortages.
Whilst 2012 was a further year of hurdles in delivering quality
healthcare services, HA was blessed to have the wise counsel from
our Chairman, Mr Anthony Wu, and the valuable contributions from
the Board, Hospital Governing and Regional Advisory Committee
members. I am grateful to the community at large for their trust
and support to us. I want to pay tribute to all of our employees,
who have shown a real sense of dedication, passion and endurance
throughout a critical year for the HA.
Enlisting our valuable human capital and implementing our strategies gave added impetus to us in accomplishing our mission of helping people stay health. We have addressed our most pressing challenges and made solid headways last year. Yet there is still an uphill journey ahead. By further leveraging the support of our stakeholders, we are more determined than ever to provide medical services that rank HA among the best in the world.
PY LEUNG
Chief Executive
