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HEALTH
Malaria transmission has practically ceased in Hong Kong. However anti-larval operations such as the draining and clearing of streams and oiling are still carried out. Poliomyelitis has been eradicated for the past five years. Oral vaccines are offered at family health centres.
Measles was at one time prevalent among children under five but, since the in- troduction of an anti-measles vaccine in 1967, its incidence has been drastically reduced. A small outbreak in the children of Armed Forces' personnel was noted in June and July. In September rubella vaccination was introduced into the immunisa- tion programme. The immunisation was directed at girls aged 11 to 14 years and women of childbearing age.
Hospitals
There are three types of hospitals in Hong Kong - government, government-assisted and private, with a total of 20,135 beds representing 4.4 beds per thousand of the population. Institutions operated by the Armed Forces are excluded. The four major regional hospitals are Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth, Kwong Wah and Princess Margaret Hospitals.
Queen Mary Hospital, with 1,179 beds, is the regional hospital for Hong Kong Island. It is the teaching hospital for the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Hong Kong.
Queen Elizabeth Hospital, the largest general hospital in Kowloon with 1,938 beds, is the regional hospital for east Kowloon and the east New Territories.
Kwong Wah Hospital, a government-assisted hospital with 1,552 beds, is the regional hospital for west Kowloon.
Princess Margaret Hospital has 1,260 beds. It serves as a regional hospital for the west New Territories and contains an infectious diseases unit and a geriatric unit. As a result of the regionalisation scheme, the bed occupancy rates of government- assisted hospitals such as Pok Oi, Buddhist, Tung Wah and Yan Chai Hospitals have been brought up to more than 80 per cent.
Clinics
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Out-patient services provided by the government, subsidised organisations and private agencies are developing steadily. The government operates 52 general out-patient clinics and a number of polyclinics and specialist clinics. During the year demand remained high at these clinics. Evening, Sunday and public holiday sessions continued at clinics situated in the more densely populated areas.
Mobile dispensaries and floating clinics take medical services to the islands and remote areas of the New Territories. Other inaccessible areas are visited regularly by the flying doctor service with assistance from the Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force.
At the end of 1978, 403 clinics were registered under the Medical Clinics Ordinance. Of these, 84 clinics were under the control of a registered medical practitioner, as required under the ordinance, and 319 clinics were exempted from this requirement. The Low Cost Medical Care Scheme, in which clinics are set up in public housing estates by registered medical practitioners, continued to operate during the year.