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HEALTH
At the Ruttonjee Sanatorium and Freni Memorial Convalescent Home, where there is a total of 336 beds, patients are admitted direct and treatment is free. A considerable number of beds is maintained by organizations in Hong Kong and patients sponsored for these beds have a certain priority of admission. The hospital is staffed by the St Columban Order of Sisters and the consultant services are supplied by the Professional Units of the University of Hong Kong. An annual recurrent subvention is made by Government.
The Association also maintains at its headquarters a BCG Clinic, a follow-up Clinic and a Health Education Section. The policy of the Association is formulated by the Board of the Association and the hospitals are managed by the Grantham Hospital and Ruttonjee Sanatorium Management Boards res- pectively. Both hospitals offer approved courses of training in tuberculosis nursing leading to the BTA Certificate.
Haven of Hope Sanatorium. Managed by an Executive Commit- tee of the Junk Bay Medical Relief Council, this Sanatorium now has accommodation for 210 cases of tuberculosis. Within this number are two units, one for rehabilitation prior to resettle- ment and the other an observation centre for child contacts who have a positive tuberculin test. Government maintains 60 beds, by means of an annual subvention, for the treatment of tuberculosis amongst villagers in the New Territories. The remainder of the beds are sponsored by voluntary and missionary bodies which pay annual maintenance costs or guarantee the daily cost of main- tenance of the patients they sponsor.
The total number of beds available throughout Hong Kong for tuberculosis patients during the year was 1,825 of which the greatest number are in Government, voluntary or mission hospitals offering free or low cost hospital treatment.
In 1951 the death rate from all forms of tuberculosis was 208 per 100,000. By the end of 1961 this death rate had fallen to 61.3 per 100,000. The average age at which death from tuberculosis occurs is increasing and the greatest number of deaths now lies in the age group 50 to 59. The Government policy of ambulatory chemotherapy has now been in force for ten years and the results of this policy are to be the subject of a fresh and impartial