HEALTH
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years old, and ante-natal and post-natal sessions are also conducted. Whenever necessary, babies attending the clinics are visited at home, and health visitors also go to the homes of newborn infants whose names appear in the monthly birth returns. Health education forms an important part of this work and includes practical demonstra- tions, talks, film shows and individual advice to mothers. There is a close liaison between the service and the Family Planning Associa- tion, which conducts an increasing number of sessions in all the
centres.
SCHOOL HEALTH
The School Medical Service is operated by the School Medical Service Board, an independent body incorporated by ordinance. Essentially the scheme offers a service whereby participating school children receive medical treatment from private medical practitioners for the small sum of $7 a year. This per capita fee does not meet the cost of the service and the Government contributes an equal sum, as well as the cost of administrative expenses. At the end of the year 39,821 students attending schools were enrolled in the service and 196 private medical practitioners were participating.
The School Health Service continues as a government responsi- bility and is concerned with the environmental health and sanitary condition of school premises and the control of communicable diseases in schools. Routine inspection of schools is undertaken by school health inspectors, while immunisation of school children against the major infectious diseases is arranged by health officers.
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MENTAL HEALTH
Psychiatric cases from the whole Colony are admitted to the Castle Peak Hospital, mostly as voluntary patients. Outpatient treatment is available in the urban area and in the New Territories, and day-patients are treated in the Psychiatric Day Centre on Hong Kong Island as well as the Yau Ma Tei Psychiatric Centre in Kowloon. The latter Centre also provides special facilities for the observation of disturbed children. A Psychiatric Observation Unit is operated in the Victoria Reception Centre for remand prisoners, and there is one ward for very low-grade mentally subnormal children in the Tung Wah Hospital. Other cases of mental subnor- mality are in the care of the Social Welfare Department where they