HEALTH
95
of Drug Addicts, a voluntary organisation receiving a substantial government subvention. The society maintains an office in the urban area where addicts can apply voluntarily for admission to the centre and, after a medical examination and socio-economic investigation, are admitted for treatment and rehabilitation. Following their discharge, the society provides further assistance in their rehabilitation. The centre in the urban area also provides accommodation facilities for the treatment of female drug addicts.
An anti-narcotic campaign organised jointly by the Medical and Health Department and the Action Committee Against Narcotics was held in November. Widest publicity to the campaign was given through all the available publicity media. The emphasis of the campaign was on the preventive aspect of drug addiction and publicity was directed primarily towards education of the young.
HOSPITALS
The 16,471 hospital beds available in Hong Kong represent 4.03 beds per thousand of the population (see Appendix 32). This figure includes maternity and nursing homes, but not institutions maintained by the Armed Forces. Of these beds 14,321 are in government hospitals and institutions and in government-assisted hospitals, while the remaining 2,150 are provided by private agencies. Apart from beds assigned to the mentally ill and for the treatment of tuberculosis and infectious diseases there are 13,103 beds available for all general purposes, including maternity, giving a ratio of 3.20 beds per thousand of the population. The figures quoted are based on the normal bed capacities of the hospitals, but in some cases the actual occupancy is much higher as camp beds are used exten- sively whenever the need arises.
Queen Elizabeth Hospital serves as the main emergency and specialist hospital for Kowloon and the New Territories and has 1,596 beds, with all necessary ancillary and specialist services. The Kowloon Hospital is used mainly as a subsidiary to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital for patients requiring convalescent care and rehabilitation. The newly completed West Wing at Kowloon Hospital when fully commissioned will increase the total bed complement of the hospital to 1,086 beds.