Hong Kong

Health Care

Improving health indices and a steady decline in major communicable diseases point to a continued increase in public health, attributable for the most part to efforts to educate the public (such as an anti-smoking campaign) and programs to make preventive medicine and personal health services readily available. Cancer, heart disease, and stroke are the usual causes of death. Moreover, the Hong Kong public generally enjoys a relatively high quality of life. Life expectancy is just under 77 years for men and slightly above 82 for women. A growing elderly population has become an increasing concern.

Hospitals, like the schools, are either private, partly subsidized, or public. Among the region's many hospitals are St. John's and Ruttonjee on Hong Kong Island, Queen Mary and Hong Kong Buddhist Hospitals in Kowloon, and Caritas and Tai Po Hospitals in the New Territories. Social welfare programs are mostly limited to emergency relief, with some provision for old age and disabilities. Hospital services are supplemented by specialized clinics and clinics in outlying areas, some of them on boats, in an effort to provide all citizens of Hong Kong with access to health care.