| dc.description.abstract | The pressures exerted on hospital facilities in Hong Kong
from an ageing population with increasing expectations,
are compounded by a continued growth in population.
Hospitals have clearly failed to deal with rising demand
and, as a consequence, are commonly perceived to be in a
state of crisis. In this respect, most comment has centred
on the overall quantity of provision and quality, as
assessed largely in terms of technical care and hotel
conditions.
This thesis highlights the additional issue of the spatial
inequality of provision in a rapidly changing urban scene.
In extending discussion to the "appropriateness" of new
hospital provision, the thesis examines the relationship
that hospitals have with their client populations. This
involves not only their geographical location, but also
their interaction with other health care providers in the
urban space and, most importantly, the roles which
hospitals have been assigned.
The thesis explores the link between the function of a
hospital and the principles on which the hospital system
is based, arguing that the system is not merely a product
of a particular politico-economic setting, but also of a
history of influences, not least of which has been the
need to mediate between the diverse cultures and
traditions of Hong Kong.
Guiding principles concerning the role and functioning of
hospitals can be collectively described as a "hospital
philosophy". Because it has arisen out of diverse
influences, such a guiding philosophy may be susceptible
to change, even though basic economic and political
relations remain essentially unaltered. Since a hospital
philosophy can affect location decisions and the way in
which the hospital interacts over space, any change in
philosophy may have spatial implications.
The thesis assesses the extent to which the philosophy can
be successfully altered from within the system by paying
particular attention to the relationship between one
hospital, which has proclaimed an alternative approach,
and the area which that hospital serves.
Also examined are the Government's own plans for changing
the operation of hospital services for the 1990s and their
spatial implications, assessing to what extent this
reflects a significant change in outlook towards hospital
care. | en_US |
