The "Primary Medical Health Blueprint" was announced yesterday (19th). The government pointed out that the "Chronic Disease Co-management Plan" will be launched in the second quarter of next year at the earliest to subsidize citizens to receive screening and treatment in the private medical market. It also proposes the establishment of a primary medical department. Develop the "Primary Medical Register" for citizens to search.
However, what exactly is "primary healthcare" and can everyone benefit from it?
▼On December 19, the government announced the "Primary Medical and Health Blueprint"▼
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According to the definition of the World Health Organization (WHO), "Primary Healthcare" is a practical, scientifically based and socially accepted method that provides basic health services that the entire country and society can afford.
The Medical and Health Bureau defines "Primary Care (Primary Care)" as the medical part of primary health services, which is the first point of contact between patients and doctors (such as general practitioners), covering treatment and preventive care, continuous medical care services, health and wellness education, and referral of patients to specialists.
Primary care is the first level of the entire healthcare system, while second and third tiers mainly include specialist and hospital services.
Medical and Health Bureau
Primary care can be divided into three levels of prevention.
(Screenshot of the website of the District Health Center of the Medical and Health Bureau)
According to the Medical and Health Bureau, primary medical care is the first point of contact for individuals and families in the continuous medical treatment process, and provides convenient, comprehensive, continuous, coordinated and people-oriented care for citizens in the communities where they live and work, including:
1. Health promotion
2. Prevention of acute and chronic diseases
3. Health risk assessment and disease detection
4. Treatment and nursing of acute and chronic diseases
5. Support for self-management of patients
6. Rehabilitation and support for the disabled or terminally ill and palliative care
Primary care can be provided by a variety of healthcare professionals, including Western medicine, dentists, Chinese medicine practitioners, nurses, chiropractors, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, clinical psychologists, nutritionists, pharmacists, optometrists, speech therapists, Podiatrist, etc.
The Medical and Health Bureau emphasizes that primary medical care is not limited to controlling chronic diseases through doctors, but also includes health education, disease prevention, early treatment, community rehabilitation, etc., and requires the cooperation of various medical professions, social service sectors and regional organizations. Only in this way can the health of the public be improved and the effect of reducing the burden of disease be achieved.
As early as 2008, in the medical reform consultation document "Control your health, control your life" published by the government, the comprehensive plan for reforming the medical system has included "strengthening primary medical services", especially providing continuous, preventive, comprehensive, and holistic medical care.
Two years later, the "Strategy Document for the Development of Primary Care in Hong Kong" was published, proposing the main strategies and paths for improving primary care services. In the same year, the establishment of the "Guidelines for Primary Care" and the establishment of the former Primary Care Coordinating Office under the Department of Health were announced.
In 2019, the Food and Health Bureau established the Primary Medical and Health Office to monitor and supervise the development of primary medical and health services at the policy bureau level, and later merged with the former Primary Medical Coordinating Office.
The latest "Policy Address" pointed out that the COVID-19 epidemic has made the sequelae of over-reliance on the public hospital system more and more obvious. Chief Executive Lee Kar-chao proposed to launch a "Primary Healthcare Blueprint" within this year, using district health centers as hubs to coordinate the provision of medical services for the public. The primary medical services, and established the "Primary Medical and Health Administration", which is responsible for coordinating the management of primary medical services in the public and private sectors, formulating standards and establishing quality assurance mechanisms, and launching a three-year "Chronic Disease Co-management Pilot Program".
▼District Health Center▼
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The blueprint for primary care and health is released Chen Peiliang agrees to concentrate resources to follow up the blueprint for primary care for patients with chronic diseases｜Subsidize patients with diabetes and high blood pressure to seek medical treatment in the community and promote a list of doctors to find doctors. The health center sets up a case manager to closely follow up with chronic disease patients