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BACKGROUND NOTES
No. 11
SOCIAL SERVICES
A.
Health Services
The policy of the Hong Kong Government is to provide directly or
indirectly low cost or free medical and personal health services to the
many who cannot afford to pay. The estimated total expenditure on
medical and Health services during 1967/68 is £17.6 m. or 14.7% of total
Government expenditure.
Hospitals
2.
At the end of 1966 there were over 13,000 beds available in all
hospitals in Hong Kong (over 11,000 of these in Government or
Government-assisted hospitals).
This represents an increase of more than
200% over the bed provision in 1950.
3. In the Government hospitals there are specialist clinical units
including surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, dentistry, neuro-surgery,
opthalmology, orthopaedic surgery, pathology and psychiatry.
Out Patient Clinics
4. There are 40 government out-patient clinics. Many others are
provided by voluntary organisations, with or without Government
assistance. In 1964 the latter were brought under statutory control
since a number were found to be operated by unqualified staff and were
operated for profit rather than service; 475 private clinics have since
been granted registration.
5.
Mobile dispensaries and floating clinics bring medical services
to the more remote areas of the New Territories.
Government Tuberculosis Service
6.
Tuberculosis remains the principal community health problem in the
Colony, between 1 and 2% of the adult population requiring treatment,
although the mortality rate has fallen from 208 per 100,000 in 1951 to
40.8 in 1966.
M.
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