After residents started to move into the first three completed subsidised home-ownership scheme (HOS) estates in the Zone A new urban area in September, a public health station, located in one of the three housing estates, opened yesterday.
The health station is the first public facility serving members of the public to come into service in the 1.38-square-kilometre land reclamation area.
Zone A, a new land reclamation area primarily being developed for public housing projects, is located between the peninsula’s north-eastern coast and the man-made island where the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB) Macau checkpoint is located.
Construction of the first three HOS estates in Zone A was completed last year, comprising a total of 3,017 flats. Afterwards, the government started in March this year to arrange for successful applicants to choose their flats in the three estates.
The government started on September 18 to arrange for those who had chosen and purchased their flats to move into the three estates, namely Tong Seng Building (東城大廈) comprising four blocks on plot B4, Tong Chong Building (東創大廈) comprising two blocks on plot B9, and Tong Kai Building (東啟大廈) comprising two blocks on plot B10.
Correspondingly, Zone A has been served by public buses since September 18.
Including the new public health station, located on the first floor of the Tong Chong estate, which came into service yesterday, the Health Bureau (SSM) is now running nine health centres and three health stations in Macau, plus a health station in Hengqin.
The bureau’s health stations are smaller than health centres.
The 106-square-kilometre Hengqin island in Zhuhai City is officially known as Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin.
Accompanied by SSM Director Alvis Lo Iek Long, Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Wallis O Lam inaugurated the new health station, officially known as Zone A New Urban Area Health Station, on Wednesday, the bureau announced in a statement that night.
While the bureau did not invite the media to cover the inauguration ceremony on Wednesday, it organised a media tour yesterday morning to brief journalists on site about the new health station’s facilities and operations.
During yesterday’s media briefing, Chou Mei Fong, who heads the new Zone A New Urban Area Health Station, said that the health station, with family medicine as its core philosophy, provides comprehensive healthcare services spanning the whole life cycle, including children, women and adults’ healthcare, walk-in outpatient services, chronic disease prevention and management, health promotion, general nursing services, vaccinations, and essential medications.
The health station, which covers a gross area of 1,066 square metres, is equipped with seven consultation rooms, a treatment room, a blood collection room, a child nursing room, and a breastfeeding room.
The health station is also equipped with a fever clinic*, which is separated from the other facilities. Chou underlined that the fever clinic is designed fully in line with national standards.
Zone A is earmarked to have a population of 96,000, according to its official urban development plan.
Chou said that despite its relatively small size, the health station is designed to be able to serve a population of 96,000.
For the time being, Chou said, the health station will be operated by six health and administrative staff members. She underlined that the bureau will increase the station’s number of staff gradually in line with the number of residents moving into Zone A in the future.
Chou also said that residents who have moved into Zone A can change to be served by this new health station by presenting their proof of new residential address at the station.
According to the official urban development plan for Zone A, the government will build a public health centre on plot C8 in Zone A. Chou said yesterday that in reference with similar experience previously, this health station, which opened yesterday, would be likely to continue operating after the future health centre comes into service.
*A fever clinic is a dedicated healthcare facility or a separate section within a hospital designed to screen, isolate, and treat patients with febrile illnesses, i.e., illnesses involving fever, that could be infectious and pose a public health risk. Its primary purpose is to act as a first line of defence in preventing the spread of contagious diseases within a general hospital or the community. – DeepSeek
Chou Mei Fong, who heads the new Zone A New Urban Area Health Station, briefs reporters about the health station’s facilities yesterday. She also heads the Areia Preta Health Centre.
A man sees a doctor in a consultation room of the new health station in Tong Chong Building in Zone A yesterday. The station opens between 8:30 a.m. and 1 p.m., and between 2:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. from Mondays to Fridays, except public holidays.
This photo taken yesterday shows HOS estates of Tong Seng Building (from right to left), Tong Chong Building and Tong Kai Building in Zone A. The area is currently served by three public bus routes, 101X, 102X and 103. – Photos: Tony Wong
