Culture and Sport - Macao Yearbook

Health and Social Welfare
secondary school students of formal education, teaching staff, patients suffering from infectious
diseases, drug addicts, people with malignant tumours, the mentally ill, prisoners, people aged
65 or above, and people holding proof of their personal financial standing (Card for Recipient of
Financial Subsidy) issued by the Social Welfare Bureau.
Health Centres
To realise the objective of “Health for All” advocated by the World Health Organization (WHO),
the Health Bureau has established Health Centres throughout the territory. The completion of a
primary health care network with Health Centres as its operational units offers all Macao residents
easy access to primary health care services in their own neighbourhoods.
There are six Health Centres and two Health Stations distributed throughout the various districts
of the Macao SAR. Of these, the Fai Chi Kei Health Centre and Areia Preta Health Centre also had
traditional Chinese medicine clinics. In the year ending 31 December 2008, 105 doctors (including
general practitioners, practitioners of Chinese medicine and dentists) and 144 nurses provided
primary health care services to 481,265 outpatients. Most outpatients attended the adult health care,
child health care and family planning clinics, which accounted for 59.45 percent, 13.17 percent
and 8.59 percent, respectively, of total outpatient visits.
Health Centres provide the following services:
Prenatal Care, which ensures the health of both mothers and their babies during pregnancy
through regular check ups. A total of 23,102 people used this service in 2008.
Family Planning, which offers married couples the choice of planned parenthood. It reduces the
occurrence of diseases among pregnant women, new mothers and their babies, lowers mortality
rates, and raises the health and living standards of women and their families. Altogether, 41,370
people used this service in 2008.
Children’s Health Care, which serves children aged between birth and 13, providing them with
regular medical check ups and consultations, physical examinations, vaccinations and fluoride
supplements. It also teaches skills and knowledge about feeding and caring for babies and infants.
A total of 63,385 people used this service in 2008.
Adult Health Care, which provides health examinations, diagnosis, treatment and control
of various common illnesses, especially chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, and
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. It also offers basic medication, laboratory tests and other
supplementary check ups. In all, 286,141 people benefited from this service in 2008.
Oral Health Care, which provides dental check ups, fissure-sealing, restoration and filling and
root-canal treatments, scaling and polishing and extractions. A total of 22,448 people used this
service in 2008.
Student Health Care, which provides physical check ups, vaccinations and health education to
Primary One to Six students. In all, 4,227 people used this service in 2008.
Health Education, which enhances health knowledge among residents, promotes the concept of
“Prevention is Better than Cure” and encourages the practice of a healthy lifestyle; and
Traditional Chinese Medicine Services, which have been available in the Fai Chi Kei Health
Centre since 1999, and in Areia Preta Health Centre since July 2006. In 2008, 34,900 patients
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