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HEALTH
five years old, and ante-natal and post-natal sessions are also conducted. Whenever necessary, babies attending the clinic are visited at home, and health visitors also go to the homes of newborn infants whose names appear on the monthly birth returns. Health education forms an important part of this work and there is close liaison with the Family Planning Association, which conducts an increasing number of sessions at 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 schoolchildren receive medical treatment from private medical practitioners for $7 a year. With effect from October 1, 1972 this per capita fee was reduced to $5 a year with the government contributing $20 a year for each participating pupil, as well as the cost of administrative expenses. At the end of the year 68,837 students attending schools were enrolled in the service and 180 private medical practitioners were participating.
The School Health Service continues as a government responsibility and is con- cerned 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 schoolchildren against the major infectious diseases is arranged by health officers.
Mental Health
Psychiatric cases are admitted to the Castle Peak Hospital, mostly as voluntary patients. Outpatient treatment is available in the urban areas and in the New Terri- tories, 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. The Hong Kong Psychiatric Centre, which moved into its new premises in the David Trench Rehabilita- tion Centre in March 1971, also provides occupational therapy for the psychiatric patients. The acute Psychiatric Unit in the Kowloon Hospital West Wing became operational in July 1971. It has 67 beds and is equipped with facilities for the treatment of day-patients. A Psychiatric Observation Unit is operated in the Victoria Reception Centre for remand prisoners, and there is one ward for the severe grade mentally subnormal children in the Tung Wah Hospital. This ward will be closed when all its patients have been transferred to the Siu Lam Hospital for the mentally subnormal. Other cases of mental subnormality are in the care of the Social Welfare Department, where they receive occupational training. Certain voluntary agencies, working in close co-operation with the Mental Health Service, assist in the rehabilitation of patients before their return to full social and economic activities in the community.
Drug Dependence
The treatment centre for voluntary patients on Shek Kwu Chau Island can now accommodate 500 patients whose stay there varies from four to six months. This centre is run by the Society for the Aid and Rehabilitation of Drug Addicts (SARDA), a