The Government has been upholding the principle “Improve medical services and prioritise prevention” in its optimisation of the city’s primary healthcare services. The Bairro da Ilha Verde Health Centre, in operation since 31 July 2018, has a capacity of 8,728 square metres and is the largest health centre in Macao.

The Bairro da Ilha Verde Health Centre provides primary healthcare services. They include: services for adults (geriatric care, outpatient consultations and physical examinations); for children; for women (including prenatal care); traditional Chinese medicine services; oral healthcare; and nursing care (including dressing changes, injections, blood pressure measurement, and blood glucose tests).

In order to strengthen post-diagnosis support for patients with dementia, a centre has been set up for them within the Bairro da Ilha Verde Health Centre. It provides supplementary services for patients and caregivers. They include: counselling, education, training and support, thus ensuring Macao is a community responsive to the needs of patients with dementia.

The Government attaches great importance to the support of children with special needs and is constantly improving early-intervention services. The paediatric assessment centre at the Bairro da Ilha Verde Health Centre has been doubled in size, providing evaluation services and other support such as rehabilitation therapies.

The Ka Ho Rehabilitation Hospital opened to patients on 1 April 2019, as part of the city’s effort to meet the needs of the elderly regarding medical services. The hospital mainly provides healthcare services to patients that need to improve mobility – and their ability to take care of themselves – with the aim of enhancing their quality of life.

The rehabilitation hospital has 188 beds. Services provided there include physiotherapy, palliative care, rehabilitation and a ward for convalescence. The aim is to offer quality facilities and services to senior citizens in need of them.

The Government has expanded the public health facilities at the Conde de S. Januário Hospital, in order to enhance the city’s capacity to control in the community any outbreak of infectious disease. With the expansion and new facilities, any patients suspected of having an infectious disease can be isolated within the hospital facilities, reducing the risk of disease transmission and thus safeguarding the health and safety of medical personnel and the public.

The Government has invested a considerable amount of resources to increasing the number of high-quality medical facilities, in order to enhance the city’s ability to respond to any possible outbreak of disease. A clinical centre of public health was inaugurated on 27 January 2016. It is designed to receive and treat people with communicable diseases in the event of any severe outbreak in Macao of such a disease.

The clinical centre provides 60 negative-pressure isolation wards that have automated double doors, preventing the air inside the wards from escaping to the outside world.

The Government formulated the Plan for Perfecting the Medical and Healthcare System, in a bid to strengthen the built infrastructure serving the health system. Once the Islands District Medical Complex is put into service, a greater number of improved and general medical services will be provided to people living in Taipa and Coloane respectively. In addition, a Nursing Institute – offering professional training for such staff – is under construction. Completion of it is expected in the fourth quarter of 2019.