政壇：睇社論學英文：醫療水平遜台灣香港優勢剩多少
What edges is Hong Kong left with now that Taiwan has surpassed us in healthcare services?
曾幾何時，香港的醫療水平名列亞洲前茅，令港人引以為傲，可惜今時不同往日，香港醫療優勢逐漸消失，儼然已被台灣後來居上，試問情何以堪！
在菲律賓人質事件中下顎嚴重損毀的易小玲，在香港進行三十三次下顎整形手術仍告失敗，轉去台灣接受一次手術即「重獲新生」；而罹患先天性單邊肺部發育不全綜合症的小茵茵，在香港沒有醫生敢施手術，被迫遠赴台灣求醫。有醫生指出，這不啻為本港醫學界敲響喪鐘，必須認真反思究竟出了甚麼問題。
港台醫療水平此消彼長絕非偶然。近年台灣政府大幅增加醫療開支，並規定將大部分資源投放人手培訓；反觀香港，雖然港府醫療經費也是年年增加，可惜好鋼沒有用在刀刃上，許多資源浪費在行政方面，而前線培訓經費則不斷縮水。
醫療水平不進反退，恰是香港不斷沉淪的縮影。回歸前，香港被視為亞洲四小龍中的「龍頭」，如今時移勢易，香港由「龍頭」淪為「龍尾」，整體競爭力比不上新加坡，創新科技比不上南韓，連醫療地位也被台灣爬頭，香港的優勢還剩多少？
Once upon a time, Hong Kong people were proud that the level of their city’s healthcare services topped Asia. Unfortunately, times have changed and Hong Kong is gradually losing this advantage. Taiwan is now catching up and may even overtake us. How can this be endured?
In the Manila hostage incident, Yik Siu-ling’s jaw was severely injured. After the failure of her 33 jaw operations in Hong Kong, she sought help in Taiwan and was “reborn” after just one single surgery. Little Yan Yan, who suffered from congenital unilateral pulmonary hypoplasia, was unable to find a doctor in Hong Kong who dared to operate on her, and was forced to go for treatment in Taiwan. Some doctors pointed out this has already sounded the death knell of Hong Kong’s healthcare sector, which really has to reflect seriously on what has gone wrong.
It is not incidental that Hong Kong’s healthcare level wanes and that of Taiwan waxes. In recent years, the Taiwanese government has significantly increased its expenditure on healthcare services and allocated most of the funding to manpower training. Although the Hong Kong government has also been increasing its healthcare expenditure year after year, most of the resources were ineptly wasted on administration, whereas the funds for training frontline staff continued to dwindle.
Instead of moving forward, Hong Kong’s healthcare level falls behind. This is exactly the epitome of the city’s degradation. Before the handover, Hong Kong was regarded as the “head” of Asia’s Four Little Dragons. But now, swept along in a temporal reversal of fortune, Hong Kong is reduced from the “head” to the “tail”. On overall competitiveness, Singapore is better; on innovative technology, South Korea is better. Now Taiwan has surpassed us in healthcare services. How many advantages does Hong Kong have left?
重要生字
sound the death knell of 敲響喪鐘
…wane…wax… 消…長
swept along in a temporal reversal of fortune 時移勢易
