HEALTH
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The School Health Service is a government responsibility and is concerned with the environmental health and sanitation of school premises and the control of com- municable diseases. Routine inspection of schools is undertaken by school health inspectors, while immunisation of schoolchildren against infectious diseases of child- hood is arranged by health officers.
Mental Health
The Mental Health Service provides full-time care at the Castle Peak Hospital for all types of psychiatric patient, most of them admitted voluntarily. Some 300 beds are available for long-term psychiatric patients at the Lai Chi Kok Hospital. The psychiatric unit in Kowloon Hospital and the university psychiatric unit in Queen Mary Hospital provide a comprehensive psychiatric service in a general hospital setting. The psychiatric wing at Princess Margaret Hospital is now under construction.
The concept of treating patients at outpatient and day centres has proved successful. The three day centres at the Hong Kong Psychiatric Centre, the psychiatric unit in Kowloon Hospital, and the Yau Ma Tei Psychiatric Centre supplement the hospital inpatient services. Occupational, social and recreational facilities are provided in all centres. Voluntary agencies also assist in the rehabilitation of patients before their return to full activities in the community.
Industrial Health
The main objective of the Industrial Health Service is to prevent occupational diseases and to promote health at work. It provides advice on all matters affecting the health and safety of workers.
In the construction of the mass transit railway, several hundred workers are engaged in compressed air work. All such workers have been advised on the symptoms and signs of decompression sickness and what they should do if these occur. All hospitals and doctors have also been alerted to look out for decompression sickness.
The professional and technical officers of the Industrial Health Service carry out routine and special biological and environmental monitoring. The industrial health laboratory has been designated as a collaborating laboratory in air pollution by the World Health Organisation.
Dental Service
The Government Dental Service undertakes dental care for all monthly-paid government servants and their dependants, and offers a limited treatment programme for inpatients of government hospitals, prisoners, and inmates of training centres. Emergency treatment is provided for the general public at certain clinics. The dental service operates 33 clinics, including a mobile dental unit.
A school dental health service is planned to start in 1981 and work began during 1976 on the building of a dental nurse training school at Morrison Hill. It is to include a children's dental clinic with 30 chairs.