(11) Medical & Health Services
Regionalisation
107.
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During the past year,
number of measures were taken by
the Medical and Health Department to improve services for the public.
The first was to reorganize services on a regional basis.
This came
into effect in April and the results are encouraging. Pressure on
the two major regional hospitals, the Queen Mary and the Queen
Elizabeth has been reduced. Camp beds in these two hospitals have
at last been virtually eliminated, and bed occupancy in the various
district hospitals, especially those in the subvented sector, has
increased significantly. This is precisely what was intended.
108.
Cur fourth major regional hospital, the Frincess Margaret,
is now in full operation, and the average bed occupancy has reached
a very satisfactory 5%.
Community nursing
109.
During the year a subvented scheme to evaluate the effective-
In the
ness of the community nursing service was put into action.
first 5 months of its operation, nearly 2,500 cases were dealt with
by community nurses.
Clinic services
110.
The demand for cut-patient treatment continues to increase.
In this respect the new Polyclinics at South Kwai Chung and East
Kowloon will help as will the new assessment clinic at Arran Street
which will open this month. It is a welcome innovation of the new
Director's that additional sessions at eight clinics are now operating
/on