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HEALTH
which patients are admitted for free treatment through the Govern- ment Tuberculosis Service. The Anti-Tuberculosis Association, the Ruttonjee Sanatorium and the Freni Memorial Convalescent Home receive substantial annual subventions. Missionary and other chari- table organizations run a number of general hospitals, varying in size from 50 to 280 beds. The Hei Ling Chau Leprosarium accommodates 540 leprosy patients and the Haven of Hope Sanatorium 210 tuberculosis patients. Several of these institutions receive substantial financial help from Government while others are supported to varying degrees by fees, voluntary donations and grants from mission funds. If treatment is given at low cost or free, and any excess of income_over expenditure is put towards hospital development, land may be granted without premium and the rates may be refunded through a Government subvention. The Canossa Hospital was opened on 28th April.
CLINICS
The growth of population and the increasing demand for treat- ment by Western medicine have called for a rapid expansion by Government and other agencies of out-patient facilities throughout the Colony. Attendances at Government out-patient centres alone have increased by 86% during the last five years. Government maintains 45 out-patient clinics and dispensaries of varying size and purpose, of which four were opened during 1960; three of these were built with grants from the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club, the most remarkable a nine-storey polyclinic at Sai Ying Pun. Out-patient specialist sessions are held at a number of centres in the urban areas, and in the New Territories the larger clinics are visited by specialist teams from Hong Kong and Kowloon. The more remote areas of the New Territories are served by two mobile dispensaries and two 'floating clinics'; the latter are launches, donated by the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club, which visit isolated parts of the eastern and western coasts and nearby islands.
A road ambulance service is maintained throughout the Colony by the Hong Kong Fire Brigade. Evacuation of cases of serious illness is carried out from places not easily reached by road in helicopters, fast police launches and the floating clinics.