In Hong Kong the responsibility for building and operating
hospitals was used to be shared between the Government of Hong Kong
and a number of charities, including religious orders, some with traditions
dating back to the earliest times. Unfortunately this dual system of
government and subvented hospitals was not integrated, leading to problems
of coordination and management and resulting in gaps and duplication
in services, inefficient and ineffective use of resources as well as
low staff morale. The problems had persisted against a background of
significant population growth, rising community expectations and technological
advancement. Fundamental and radical solutions were needed.
Overseas experts were invited by the Hong Kong Government
to study the situation in the mid-1980s. Finally the Government adopted
their proposal and set up an autonomous body, the Hospital Authority,
to tackle this crucial problem. The development of this local health
care system since the 1980s, the setting up of the Hospital Authority
and its work in the past few years form the subject of this book.
譯/編/作者簡介
The author, Robin Hutcheon, is a journalist and writer,
with long experience in Hong Kong. He came to Hong Kong in 1953 and
was the Editor of the largest English newspaper, South China Morning
Post, in 1967-1986. He retired to Australia in 1987 and has since
written a number of monographs on Hong Kong companies ann=...