2024年3月15日衞生事務委員會會議

是日會議的議程如下：

1.       香港中文大學醫院的最新營運狀況

2.       口腔健康及牙科護理工作小組中期報告

3.       輔助生育服務占項扣除的立法建議

Today's meeting agenda:

1. Update on the operation of CUHK Medical Centre

2. The Interim Report of the Working Group on Oral Health and Dental Care

3. Legislative proposal for tax deduction for assisted reproductive services

香港中文大學醫院的最新營運狀況

Update on the operation of CUHK Medical Centre

此項議程共有13位議員發言，主要關注醫院嘅財務狀況、員工成本、病床使用率、套餐式收費等事項。在疫情期間，全球醫療服務遭受嚴重影響，香港中文大學醫院（中大醫院）都唔例外。 議員梁美芬提出疑問，為何醫院在這段時間內營運和收入會出現問題。 醫務衛生局局長盧寵茂回應稱，中大醫院喺疫情期間開業，受到嘅影響尤為顯著。 隨著疫情嘅緩解，市民對醫院的信心逐漸恢復，醫院業務都開始逐步上升。

為咗提高醫院收入，議員陳健波建議醫院應加強與大型保險公司的合作，透過提供優惠計劃吸引更多客戶。 中大醫院已經開始實施策略，與5家保險公司嘅自願醫保計劃產品有咗較緊密嘅合作。

In this session, 13 members spoke, focusing mainly on the hospital's financial situation, staff costs, bed occupancy rate, and package-billing issues.

During the pandemic, global healthcare services were severely impacted, including the Chinese University of Hong Kong Hospital (CUHK Hospital). Legislator Alice Mak raised the question of why the hospital would encounter operational and revenue issues during this time. Secretary for Food and Health, Prof. Sophia Chan, responded that the CUHK Hospital was particularly affected as it opened during the pandemic. As the pandemic eased, the public's confidence in the hospital gradually recovered, and hospital operations began to rise gradually.

To increase the hospital's revenue, Legislator Chan Kin-por suggested that the hospital should strengthen its cooperation with large insurance companies by providing preferential plans to attract more customers. The CUHK Hospital has already begun to implement strategies, having closer cooperation with products of voluntary health insurance plans of five insurance companies.

醫院成本方面

議員田北辰對醫院員工成本上升表示關注，並質疑其原因是否為人數增加或個人工資上漲。 同時，佢對醫院內部發生嘅性騷擾事件嘅處理提出質疑。 中大醫院解釋稱，員工成本上升係由於人數增加同為咗吸引人才而必須跟隨公立醫院加薪。 醫院有內部調查機制處理投訴，如涉及刑事成分會交由警方處理。

議員邱達根建議醫院開拓更多客席醫師來源，並詢問是否可以喺服務契約中增加針對運動員嘅項目。 中大醫院表示，透過不同管道增加客席醫師數量緊，並主要係配合醫管局的需求提供支援。

關於醫院嘅收入與財務狀況，議員陳永光關注醫院收入增加嘅同時，營運成本尤其是藥物和員工成本都喺上升。 中大醫院解釋稱，藥物成本上升主要係因為腫瘤科病人和藥物增加，員工成本增加係因為護士等人手需求上升。 醫院透過價格調整等措施控制成本緊。

議員張宇人希望中文大學校董會多關注醫院發展，並建議醫院制定Plan B應對可能嘅財務困難。

Hospital Cost Aspect

Legislator Michael Tien expressed concern about the rising staff costs in the hospital and questioned whether the reasons were due to an increase in staff numbers or individual salary increments. At the same time, he questioned the handling of sexual harassment incidents within the hospital. The CUHK Hospital explained that the increase in staff costs was due to an increase in staff numbers and the need to match the salary increments of public hospitals to attract talent. The hospital has an internal investigation mechanism to handle complaints and will hand over to the police if they involve criminal elements.

Legislator Edward Lau Kwok-fan suggested that the hospital expand the sources of visiting doctors and asked whether it could add items for athletes in service contracts. The CUHK Hospital stated that it is increasing the number of visiting doctors through different channels and mainly provides support in line with the needs of the Hospital Authority.

In terms of the hospital's income and financial situation, legislator Raymond Chan expressed concern that while the hospital's income was increasing, operating costs, especially for drugs and staff, were also rising. The CUHK Hospital explained that the increase in drug costs was mainly due to an increase in oncology patients and drugs, and the increase in staff costs was due to an increase in staffing needs for nurses and others. The hospital is controlling costs through measures such as price adjustments.

Legislator Chang Yu-jen hoped that the Chinese University's Board of Directors would pay more attention to the development of the hospital and suggested that the hospital formulate a Plan B to deal with possible financial difficulties.

在醫院病床使用率與人員關心方面

議員林哲玄（副主席）關注病床使用率偏低嘅問題。 香港中文大學醫學院院長趙偉仁教授解釋稱，病床使用率偏低的原因包括高價病床使用率低和不斷增加新病床。 目前使用率已接近全港私家醫院約65%的平均水準。 議員梁熙詢問病床使用率不足50%嘅原因，中大醫院解釋稱，除了疫情影響和高價病床使用率低外，新增病床都係一個原因。 隨著疫情過去，使用率已逐步回升。

Regarding the hospital bed usage rate and staff concerns

Legislator Vincent Cheng (Deputy Chairman) expressed concern about the low bed occupancy rate. Prof. Francis Chan, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, explained that the low bed occupancy rate is due to low usage of high-priced beds and the continuous addition of new beds. The current usage rate is close to the average of about 65% of private hospitals in Hong Kong. Legislator Leung Hei asked about the reasons for bed occupancy rate being less than 50%, The Chinese University of Hong Kong Hospital explained that besides the impact of the pandemic and low usage of high-priced beds, the addition of new beds is also a reason. As the pandemic passed, the usage rate has gradually rebounded.

擴大醫療公共服務

議員陳家珮關注醫院承諾提供更多公共醫療服務，但病床使用率不足一半。 中大醫院執行董事及行政總裁馮康醫生表示，已開始提供承諾嘅公共醫療服務，病床使用率偏低係由於不斷增加新病床所致。

總括來說，中大醫院喺疫情期間面臨咗營運同收入嘅挑戰，但隨住疫情嘅緩解和市民信心嘅恢復，醫院業務逐步上升。 醫院透過加強與保險公司緊嘅合作、控制成本、增加客席醫師來源等措施嚟改善管理層和政策方面的現狀，以提高醫院嘅收入同服務質量。

Expanding Public Healthcare Services

Legislator Priscilla Leung expressed concern that the hospital promised to provide more public healthcare services, but the bed occupancy rate was less than half. Dr. Fung Hong, Executive Director and CEO of CUHK Hospital, stated that it has started to provide the promised public healthcare services, and the low bed occupancy rate is due to the continuous addition of new beds.

In general, CUHK Hospital faced operational and revenue challenges during the pandemic, but with the easing of the pandemic and the recovery of public confidence, hospital operations have gradually risen. The hospital is improving its management and policy status through measures such as strengthening cooperation with insurance companies, controlling costs, and increasing the sources of visiting doctors, in order to increase the hospital's revenue and service quality.

口腔健康及牙科護理工作小組中期報告

Midterm Report of the Oral Health and Dental Care Working Group

牙科服務宣傳

首先，黃國議員關注長者牙科服務資助計劃嘅宣傳同參與問題，指出好多長者對此計劃唔瞭解，參與率低。 他詢問如何優化計劃並加強宣傳，以提高長者嘅參與度。

常任秘書長陳松青先生回應稱，政府將在第三季度擴大服務範圍，並加強宣傳，以便更多長者受益。 田北辰議員提出關於教育和牙科人手問題。 佢關注自細加強口腔健康教育嘅重要性，並詢問是否有計劃增加牙科專業人手。 常任秘書長陳松青先生提到，政府增加牙科專業人手緊嘅培訓，並與職業訓練局合作開設新課程。

Dental Service Promotion

First, legislator Wong Kwok raised concerns about the promotional and participation issues of the Elderly Dental Assistance Expansion Programme, pointing out that many elderly people do not understand this programme, resulting in a low participation rate. He asked how to optimise the programme and strengthen promotion to increase participation by the elderly.

Permanent Secretary, Mr. Thomas Chan, responded that the government will expand the service scope in the third quarter and strengthen promotion so that more elderly people can benefit. Legislator Michael Tien raised issues about education and dental manpower. He emphasised the importance of strengthening oral health education from a young age and asked if there was a plan to increase dental professionals. Permanent Secretary, Mr. Thomas Chan, mentioned that the government is increasing training for dental professionals and is cooperating with the Vocational Training Council to set up new programmes.

人手配置方面

陳永光議員詢問關於推廣口腔健康措施的進展和牙科人手短缺問題。 陳松青答，政府正努力推廣口腔健康，並計劃引入非本地培訓嘅牙科專業人員嚟緩解人手短缺問題。

Manpower Configuration Aspect

Legislator Raymond Chan asked about the progress of promoting oral health measures and the shortage of dental manpower. Thomas Chan replied that the government is actively promoting oral health and plans to introduce dental professionals trained overseas to alleviate the shortage of manpower.

醫療券使用方式

陳穎欣議員關注長者牙科醫療券嘅使用情況，並提出是否考慮擴展至更多服務。 常任秘書長表示，政府正考慮擴展服務範圍緊，並確保服務質量。 林哲玄議員則關注牙科衛生員和牙科治療師嘅培訓及監管問題，詢問佢哋是否需要喺牙科醫生嘅監督下工作。 常任秘書長陳松青確認，未來牙科衛生員和治療師將喺牙科醫生嘅監督下進行高風險程式。

呢啲討論反映咗政府提升公眾口腔健康方面嘅努力及面臨緊嘅挑戰，特別係喺人手配備和服務優化方面。 政府代表提供了詳細的計劃和即將採取的措施，以改善口腔健康服務的質量和效率。

Use of Healthcare Vouchers

Legislator YUNG Hoi-yan expressed concern about the usage of elderly dental healthcare vouchers, and proposed whether consideration can be given to expand it to more services. The Permanent Secretary confirmed that the government is seriously considering expanding the scope of services, and ensuring the quality of services. Legislator Vincent CHENG, on the other hand, raised questions about the training and supervision of dental hygienists and therapists, asking whether they need to work under the supervision of dentists. The Permanent Secretary, Mr. Thomas CHAN, confirmed that in the future, dental hygienists and therapists will carry out high-risk procedures under the supervision of dentists.

These discussions reflect the efforts and challenges faced by the government in promoting public oral health, especially in the areas of manpower allocation and service optimization. Representatives from the government have provided detailed plans and measures that will be taken to improve the quality and efficiency of oral health services.

輔助生育服務占項扣除的立法建議

Legislative Proposal for Assisted Reproduction Service Deduction

政府建議由2024-2025課稅年度起，薪俸稅和個人入息課稅的緊，設立輔助生育服務扣除，每個課稅年度嘅扣除上限為10萬元。 此措施旨在減輕面對生育困難嘅夫婦嘅經濟負擔，鼓勵佢哋嘗試使用輔助生育服務，達成生育嘅願望。

符合條件的納稅人包括兩大類：第一，不育夫婦或有特定醫療需要接受生殖科技程式嘅夫婦; 第二，因為接受化學治療、放射治療、外科手術或其他醫學治療而可能導致喪失生育能力的癌症或任何其他病人

在討論輔助生育服務稅項扣除嘅立法建議中，林素蔚議員詢問咗關於不育夫婦嘅定義及非婚生子女的稅項扣除問題，並關心是否會設立監督機制防止濫用。 醫務衞生局副局長李夏茵回應，不育定義為一對夫婦嘗試一年正常性生活未能懷孕，非婚生子女由於接受唔到生殖科技程式，故不適用於稅項扣除。 所有輔助生育中心需持牌並受監管，以防濫用。

The government has proposed that from the 2024-2025 tax year, for salaries tax and personal income tax, a deduction for assisted reproduction services be established, with a maximum deduction of HKD 100,000 per tax year. This measure is aimed at reducing the financial burden on couples facing difficulties in childbearing, encouraging them to try assisted reproduction services to achieve their wish for childbirth.

Two major categories of taxpayers are eligible: firstly, infertile couples or those with specific medical needs undergoing reproductive technology procedures; secondly, cancer patients or anyone else who may lose their fertility due to receiving chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgery or other medical treatments.

In the discussion of the legislative proposal for tax deductions for assisted reproduction services, legislator Alice MAK Mei-kuen asked about the definition of infertile couples and the tax deduction issue for children born out of wedlock, and was concerned about whether a supervisory mechanism would be set up to prevent misuse. Dr. Amy CHIU Ka-lai, Deputy Secretary for Food and Health, responded that infertility is defined as a couple who has been trying to conceive through normal sexual activity for a year without success, and children born out of wedlock are not eligible for tax deductions as they cannot undergo reproductive technology procedures. All assisted reproduction centers must be licensed and regulated to prevent misuse.

扣稅措施和後備方案

Tax Deduction Measures and Backup Plan

李鎮強議員詢問若扣稅措施效果不佳是否有後備方案，及是否會與其他局合作解決生育問題。 副局長李夏茵醫生指出，生育問題涉及多方面，政府將密切觀察生育率變化，並可能與其他政策局商討其他稅務優惠。

此議程嘅討論重點在於透過稅務優惠措施嚟鼓勵使用輔助生育服務，以應對香港生育率嚴重下降的問題。

Legislator LEE Cheuk-yan asked whether there was a backup plan if the tax deduction measure was not effective, and whether cooperation with other bureaus would be sought to solve fertility problems. Dr. Amy CHIU Ka-lai, Deputy Secretary for Food and Health, pointed out that fertility issues involve many aspects. The government will closely observe changes in fertility rates and may discuss other tax concessions with other policy bureaus.

The focus of the discussion in this agenda item was on encouraging the use of assisted reproductive services through tax concession measures to address the severe decline in Hong Kong's fertility rate.

下次會議事項

事務委員會同意於2024年4月12日(星期五)舉行的下次例會 討論以下事項：

(a) 大灣區跨境直通救護車運送服務；

(b) 醫院管理局重啟醫院認證計劃的工作進展；

(c) 就《精神病院(綜合)宣佈令》(第136B章)的修訂建議。

Agenda for Next Meeting

The House Committee agreed to discuss the following items at the next regular meeting on April 12, 2024 (Friday):

(a) Cross-border ambulance transport service in the Greater Bay Area;

(b) Progress of the Hospital Authority's work in restarting the Hospital Accreditation Scheme;

(c) Proposed amendments to the Mental Health (Composite) Declaration Ordinance (Chapter 136B).