SOCIAL SERVICES
making, rattan furniture making, cobbling and tailor- ing. About 720 persons are employed in these under- takings.
Good progress has been made during the year in providing schools for certain resettlement areas and there are now five small schools in operation, with a further three, of six classrooms, under construction by the Maryknoll Mission. The Mission has also estab- lished three welfare centres in the King's Park, Chai Wan and Tung Tau Resettlement areas.
During the year, as a result of organized clearances of squatter colonies, some 2,900 huts housing about 3,900 families were removed. Some 15,000 persons who were involved in seven outbreaks of fire in various squatter areas were given the opportunity of resettle-
ment.
MEDICAL DEPARTMENT
This Department, under the control of the Director of Medical and Health Services, has a staff of 3,051. Its responsibility is the provision of general curative and public health services with the exception of those relating to sanitation in the Urban areas. There are three main sub-divisions of the department, hospital, public health and investigation.
General curative services are provided by eleven hospitals, with a total of 1,905 beds, and nineteen dis- pensaries, three polyclinics and three dental clinics. These are augmented by five private hospitals which are partially financed by Government and which provide an additional 1,494 beds. There are in addition various private and charitable hospitals providing a further 938 beds. The total hospital bed space in the Colony amounts to 4,337 beds.
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