MR CHAN KIN-POR (in Cantonese): Thank you, Deputy President. The fact that Hong Kong’s birth rate is among the lowest in the world has aroused extensive discussion in society.
Having children is a major life decision that requires comprehensive planning. Factors such as the healthy growth, education, pursuit of further studies and family expenses are all inter-related and require thorough consideration. I thank Dr NGAN Man-yu for proposing today’s motion and the other Members for proposing the amendments, so that we can discuss the topic of children’s healthcare services.
Student suicide cases happened one after another after the start of school last year, arousing grave concern in society about the emotional health of students. The former Food and Health Bureau has commissioned the University of Hong Kong and The Chinese University of Hong Kong to conduct a survey on the mental health of 6 000 children and adolescents from January 2019 to August 2023. The survey indicated that 24.4% of the children and adolescents had experienced mentalillness in the previous year. The situation was worrying. Among them, attention deficit or hyperactivity disorder was the most common issue, accounting for 10.2% of the respondents.
I strongly agree with Dr NGAN Man-yu’s proposal to expand the scope of examination of the Student Health Service to include the assessment of mental health, so as to provide early treatment and support to children with special needs. Currently, the Student Health Service of the Department of Health (“DH”) provides physical examination, and screening for health problems related to vision, hearing, spine, psychological health and behaviour. According to the health assessment data of the Student Health Service Centres, only 1.8% of students required referral to the Special Assessment Centre, specialist clinics or other organizations due to psychological or behavioural problems in 2022-2023. The figure was relatively low. It is too simplistic to assess the psychological health of students just through the health assessment questionnaire. Therefore, a variety of assessments should be added to examine their emotional status, stress level and whether there are any signs of mental health problems, so as to identify children with attention deficit or hyperactivity disorder as early as possible. Through comprehensive psychological health assessment, we can identify and deal with potential child mental problems at an early stage, and at the same time formulate a sound plan and provide support accordingly.
Moreover, during the epidemic, children participated less in outdoor activities, which led to a significant increase in the time spent on using electronic screen products, which affected their vision. Currently, DH’s Family Health Service provides pre-school vision screening to pre-school children aged four to five. The screening includes tests for visual acuity and binocular function, but does not include tests for colour vision, eye diseases and detailed assessment of refractive errors, which are major concerns of parents.
Children nowadays are exposed to electronic devices earlier than the previous generations, so they are prone to myopia at a young age. If they have to wait until Primary One for examination under the Student Health Service, I am afraid that their myopia would already be quite severe. The annual health assessment of Student Health Service revealed a deterioration of students’ vision in recent years, especially among lower grade primary students. The percentage of Primary One students who wore corrective lenses remained stable at 11% from the 2015-2016 school year to 2019-2020, but increased to 15% in 2020-2021 and remained level till 2022-2023. Therefore, I agree that myopia, hyperopia or astigmatism assessments should be included in the vision screening of pre-school children, so that parents are aware of their children’s vision conditions and provide immediate support and treatment accordingly to avoid affecting children’s learning and social skills in the future.
The development of children’s healthcare services is worthy of our attention, particularly in the areas of mental health of students and vision screening of pre-school children. Ensuring that children receive proper care and support during their growth process can alleviate the pressure of raising children on couples and enable them to enjoy parenthood.
Thank you, Deputy President.