The Transport Department (TD) today (July 4) reminded the public that to facilitate tram track renewal work at Des Voeux Road Central in Central district, part of the traffic lane at Pedder Street will be temporarily closed from about 10am this Saturday (July 7) to 6am next Monday (July 9).

     Appropriate traffic signs will be erected on-site to guide motorists.

     The TD anticipates that the traffic in the vicinity of the above road section will be relatively busy. Motorists should exercise tolerance and patience in case of traffic congestion. Members of the public are advised to stay alert to the latest traffic news through the media or the department's website (www.td.gov.hk).

     To celebrate the 150th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Fire Services Department (FSD) and provide the public with an opportunity to better understand the work and personnel training of the FSD, the Fire and Ambulance Services Academy in Tseung Kwan O will hold an open day on August 5 (Sunday).

     The Open Day will include a fire appliances parade and various firefighting and rescue demonstrations. Participants can visit the simulated Pak Shing Kok railway station and the Fire and Ambulance Services Education Centre cum Museum will also be open to the public. In addition, there will be displays of training facilities, FSD equipment and special vehicles, an exhibition on fire safety education, game booths and an interactive recruitment experience area as well as a Fire Services working dogs demonstration and more.

     The Academy will be open to the public from 9am to 4pm. An admission ticket is required for entrance.
 
     A total of 6 100 admission tickets will be distributed free to members of the public from 10am on July 7 (Saturday) on a first-come, first-served basis. Each person can obtain a maximum of two tickets at the following locations:

(1) Sheung Wan Fire Station (address: 2 Western Fire Services Street, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong)
(2) Wong Tai Sin Fire Station (address: 28 Fung Tak Road, Wong Tai Sin, Kowloon)
(3) Sha Tin Fire Station (address: 26-28 Yuen Wo Road, Sha Tin, New Territories)
(4) Fire and Ambulance Services Academy (address: 11 Pak Shing Kok Road, Tseung Kwan O)

     The ticket distribution arrangement will be postponed to July 14 (Sunday) if Typhoon Signal No. 8 or above or the Black Rainstorm Signal is issued three hours before the starting time of ticket distribution.

     Visitors are advised to use public transport as no parking spaces will be provided at the Academy. The open day will be postponed to August 12 (Sunday) if Typhoon Signal No. 8 or above or the Black Rainstorm Signal is issued three hours before the event. For details of the open day, please call 2411 8820.

     Following is a question by the Dr Hon Pierre Chan and a written reply by the Secretary for Food and Health, Professor Sophia Chan, in the Legislative Council today (July 4):
 
Question:
 
     Some members of the public have relayed to me that recently, quite a number of people from the Mainland who have resided in Hong Kong for less than seven years (new arrivals) receive various types of long-term medical treatments such as dialysis treatment at public hospitals, thus further straining public healthcare resources. In order to make more accurate projections on the resources needed for meeting the medical services demand of new arrivals in future, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) of the number of new arrivals coming to Hong Kong in each of the past five years and their percentage in the population of Hong Kong;
 
(2) whether it knows the number of new arrivals receiving long-term medical treatments at public hospitals in each of the past five years and the amount of public money involved;
 
(3) whether it knows (i) the respective numbers of new and old cases of patients receiving dialysis treatment at public hospitals, (ii) the unit cost of dialysis treatment, and (iii) the median and the 90th percentile of waiting time for new cases, in each of the past five years;
 
(4) whether it knows the number of new arrivals receiving dialysis treatment at public hospitals in each of the past five years; among them, the number of those who were recipients of comprehensive social security assistance payments, and the number of those who had resided in Hong Kong for less than one year (with a tabulated breakdown by hospital cluster);
 
(5) whether it knows the number of people, who had received kidney transplants outside Hong Kong, being prescribed anti-rejection drugs at public hospitals or clinics in each of the past five years and the unit cost per consultation, with a breakdown by the countries/places where the kidney transplant surgeries were performed, and the number of new arrivals among them; and
 
(6) whether it knows (i) the strength, (ii) the number of new recruits, (iii) the number of departures, and (iv) the wastage rate, of full-time urologists and nephrologists at various public hospitals in each of the past five years, with a tabular breakdown by rank?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
     My reply to the various parts of the question raised by Dr Hon Pierre Chan is as follows:
 
(1) According to the results of the 2016 Population By-census, among the Hong Kong Resident Population, there were 165 956 persons from the mainland of China having resided in Hong Kong for less than seven years, accounting for 2.4 per cent of the whole population (excluding foreign domestic helpers).
 
     "Persons from the mainland of China having resided in Hong Kong for less than seven years" refer to persons who reported in the 2016 Population By-census that they:
 
(i) were born in the mainland of China;
(ii) were of Chinese nationality with place of domicile in Hong Kong; and
(iii) had stayed in Hong Kong for less than seven years.
 
     The Census and Statistics Department does not have the relevant statistics for 2013 to 2015 and 2017.
 
(2) The Hospital Authority (HA) does not keep statistics on the number of new arrivals receiving long-term medical treatments in public hospitals and the amount of public money involved.
 
(3) The respective numbers of new and old cases of patients receiving renal replacement therapy (including peritoneal dialysis and haemodialysis) in HA hospitals in the past five years are tabulated below:

     Renal replacement therapy is life-sustaining treatment. The renal team provides timely and appropriate treatment for patients according to their clinical needs and conditions. Therefore, the HA does not keep statistics on the waiting time for patients to receive dialysis treatment.
 
     The HA does not have statistical breakdown of the unit cost of dialysis treatment.
 
(4) According to information of the Social Welfare Department, to be eligible for assistance under the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) Scheme, an applicant must have held the Hong Kong resident status for not less than one year. The HA does not keep statistical data on the number of new arrivals and CSSA recipients receiving dialysis treatment in public hospitals.
 
(5) Patients who have undergone kidney transplant, regardless of whether the transplant was conducted in Hong Kong, need to receive follow-up treatment such as taking anti-rejection drugs on a continuous basis. The HA provides the necessary follow-up services and continuum of care for these patients.
 
     The table below sets out the number of patients who had kidney transplant in countries/places outside Hong Kong and received follow-up care in public hospitals in each of the past five years:

     The HA does not have statistical breakdown of the unit cost per consultation for patients who had kidney transplant in countries/places outside Hong Kong and received follow-up care in public hospitals, and the number of new arrivals among these patients.
 
(6) Urologists and nephrologists work in surgery and medicine specialties respectively, providing various surgery or medicine services for patients. The HA does not keep statistics on the strength, number of new recruits, attrition number and attrition rate of urologists and nephrologists.
 
     Tables 1 to 4 at annex provide statistics on the strength, intake number, attrition number and attrition rate of all ranks of full-time doctors in the medicine and surgery specialties by clusters in HA from 2013-14 to 2017-18.

     The effective exchange rate index for the Hong Kong dollar on Wednesday, July 4, 2018 is 102.1 (down 0.7 against yesterday's index).

The following is issued on behalf of the Communications Authority:
 
     The Communications Authority (CA) today (July 4) announced its decisions to relax the regulation of indirect advertising in television programme services and to lift the prohibition on the broadcast of advertisements for undertaker and associated services. 
 
Indirect advertising
————————
 
     Taking effect from July 27, 2018, indirect advertising will be permitted in TV programmes except for news programmes, current affairs programmes, children's programmes, educational programmes, religious services and other devotional programmes.  
 
     The decision came after the CA's review of the relevant provisions in the Codes of Practice (Codes) governing indirect advertising, having taken into account the views collected through consultation with the industry and the public, including a territory-wide opinion survey, focus group discussions and a one-month public consultation exercise. The CA also considered the approach adopted in major overseas jurisdictions. 
      
     The spokesman for the CA said, "The relaxation facilitates broadcasting licensees to diversify their sources of advertising, striking a balance between providing a more conducive business environment to licensees in light of the keen competition in the broadcasting industry and protection of the interests of viewers." 
      
     The spokesman added, "A preliminary review of the substantiated cases of complaints on indirect advertising over the past eight years indicate that around two-thirds of such cases would likely be considered as compliant with the new regulatory regime." 
      
     The regulations governing indirect advertising will be relaxed in the following two key respects:
 
(1) Product placement
 
     Product placement refers to the inclusion of products/services within a programme in return for payment or other valuable consideration being received by a licensee. The CA decided that product placement will be allowed so long as the exposure or use of products/services within a programme is presented in a natural and unobtrusive manner having regard to the programme context and genre, and that there is no direct encouragement of purchase or use of the products/services. 
      
     Product placement will continue to be allowed in current affairs programmes, subject to the existing condition that licensees should exercise care in the choice of sponsors to safeguard the credibility and integrity of such programmes. 
      
     To protect the interests of viewers, licensees will be required to clearly inform viewers of the inclusion of product placement before a programme starts. 
 
(2) Unpaid commercial references
 
     Unpaid commercial references refer to indirect advertising where no payment or valuable consideration is received by a licensee. The CA decided to lift the current prohibition on undue prominence regarding unpaid commercial references within a programme. 
      
     Unpaid indirect advertising in acquired programmes and in direct re-transmission channels will be exempted from compliance with the rules governing product placement. To protect the interests of viewers, licensees will be required to inform viewers of the inclusion of indirect advertising in acquired programmes and in direct re-transmission channels.
  
Advertisements for undertakers and associated services
————————
 
     In addition, the CA also decided to lift the current prohibition on inclusion of advertisements for undertakers or others associated with death or burial in a licensed television programme service and sound broadcasting service.
      
     The revised Codes will be published in the Gazette on July 6, 2018, and will take effect on July 27, 2018, to allow time for licensees to make necessary arrangements for the requirement to notify viewers about the inclusion of indirect advertising in programmes.
      
     To enhance understanding of the new regulatory regime, a set of frequently asked questions (FAQs) (www.coms-auth.hk/filemanager/en/content_498/TV_FAQ_EN.pdf) and the summary of public views received during the public consultation have been uploaded to the CA's website (www.coms-auth.hk/filemanager/statement/en/upload/455/20180704Summary_IndAd_EN.pdf and www.coms-auth.hk/filemanager/statement/en/upload/456/20180704Summary_Undertaker_EN.pdf) for reference of the licensees and the public.  
      
     Details of the CA's decisions above are in the Appendix (www.coms-auth.hk/filemanager/en/content_713/appx_20180704_en.pdf).