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HEALTH
Government and other agencies, and only 6% of all deliveries are undertaken by domiciliary midwives, Government or private.
To ensure the highest standards in midwifery practice through- out the Colony, the Midwives Ordinance of 1910 was repealed during 1960 and re-enacted with modifications. These modifica- tions include more adequate provisions for registration of midwives, wider disciplinary powers for the Midwives Board, and improved control of the practice of the profession.
The Government Midwifery Service operates from 24 centres, thirteen of which are in the New Territories, and offers facilities free of charge for maternity home and domiciliary deliveries. In addition, there are 185 midwives in private practice from 117 maternity homes and 5 nursing homes. The Supervisor of Midwives is responsible for maintaining a high standard of midwifery practice in the Colony and for ensuring that private maternity institutions comply with the conditions of their registration.
The Maternal and Child Health Service offers free maternal and child care at 25 centres throughout the Colony, 9 of which are full-time. The staff of the service hold infant welfare and toddler clinics (for children up to 2 years of age and from 2 to 5 years respectively) and ante-natal and post-natal sessions. Health Visitors pay home visits when necessary to babies attending the clinics and also to new-born babies after the monthly birth returns have been received.
Health Education is a most important part of maternal and child health work and takes the form of practical demonstrations, health talks illustrated by various visual aids, individual advice to mothers and the distribution of booklets and pamphlets. The response is very encouraging and there is increasing public appre- ciation of the value of the expert advice and guidance offered.
Vitamins, iron preparations, and UNICEF skimmed milk powder are distributed widely, and full-cream and half-cream milk powders are available for children who are, in the opinion of Medical Officers or Almoners, in need of such supplements to their diets.
Prophylactic immunization is offered in all centres against smallpox, diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus and over 90% of children attending the infant welfare and toddler sessions receive