About UCN
History & Milestones
Dr Edward H. Paterson, a missionary doctor from England, had been the medical superintendent of the Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital and founding medical superintendent of the United Christian Hospital. As a surgical specialist, Dr Paterson also excelled at hospital planning and management. He spearheaded the concept of community nursing, and became a pioneer in community nursing service, which promoted the "Health Care System Without Walls" in Hong Kong.
Adhering to “Hospital without Walls” concept from the founder Dr Edward H. Paterson*, United Christian Nethersole Community Health Service (UCN) has been striving to promote "Leading a Health Life" with primary health care and providing professional, comprehensive and affordable medical services to the community for more than 40 years.
When United Christian Hospital was still under planning stage in the 1960s, Dr Paterson foresaw the capacity of the hospital would fall short of meeting the needs of the Kwun Tong population. Therefore, he spread the forces previously concentrated in the hospital to the community and let the medical staff to enter the community for the works of prevention, education and diagnosis by the concept of “Hospital without Walls”. In 1972, he set up the "Kwun Tong Community Health Project" to go beyond the hospital walls and extend health care services to the community. This constituted a good foundation for UCN’s development of primary healthcare service.
On 16 March 1972, the first community health centre was opened in Sau Mau Ping Estate, which provided health promotion, education, prevention, diagnosis, rehabilitation, and community support service to the publics.
“Kwun Tong Community Health Project” merged with “Nethersole Community Health Service” on 1 April 1997 to inaugurate as “United Christian Nethersole Community Health Service”.
Over the years, UCN has keeping pace with the social development and meeting the increasing demand for healthcare services arising from different segments of the community. We have set up community health centres and medical centres in Kowloon and the New Territories to provide the publics with preventive medicine and clinical service, dental care, health maintenance, Chinese medicine, community nutrition, physiotherapy, psychological counselling, diagnosis and social services, etc. With the mission of “Leading a Healthy Life”, UCN engages the population in promoting their own health as well as the health of the communities.
