HEALTH
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Hong Kong Police Force, the Customs and Excise Department and the Government Laboratory frequently went overseas to act as lecturers or consultants on training courses related to anti-drug work.
As a follow-up to the international meeting on 'The role of education in the social re-integration of former drug users' held in Hong Kong in 1980, Hong Kong has undertaken, on the invitation of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), a pilot project to demonstrate the efficacy of including or reinforcing educational elements in the programmes of rehabilitation and social re- integration of former addicts. The project, organised by SARDA and Caritas and co-ordinated by the Narcotics Division, comprises two parallel schemes with the same objectives but different methodologies which have not been fully tried out in Hong Kong. Funds for the project are provided by the United Nations Fund for Drug Abuse Control. The project is expected to conclude in early 1983.
二
As a result of continual efforts to eradicate the scourge of drug addiction, Hong Kong can claim to have contained its drug problem and made successful inroads into preventing the spread of drug abuse among young people and in reducing criminal behaviour among addicts.
Environmental Hygiene
The work of the Urban Services Department includes street cleaning, the collection and removal of refuse and nightsoil, the management of public toilets and bathhouses, the control of food hygiene and the disposal of the dead.
A regular workforce of 7 000 – 3 800 in the urban areas and 3 200 in the New Territories is employed in cleansing duties. The cleansing force is equipped with a fleet of 635 vehicles, including specialised refuse-collection vehicles, street-washing vehicles, mechanical sweepers, nightsoil collectors and gully emptiers.
All streets are swept at least once daily, either mechanically or manually, while busier thoroughfares are swept from four to eight times a day. A daily refuse collection service is provided to all built-up areas in the territory and about 3 600 tonnes of refuse and junk are collected every day. There is also a free nightsoil collection service for the few remaining areas which do not have a water-borne sewage disposal system.
The Clean Hong Kong campaign, launched by the government and the Urban Council in October 1981, ended in December 1982. Divided into six phases each lasting about two months, the campaign covered street and block cleansing; a clean-up of the countryside, squatter areas and beaches; the removal of marine and agricultural waste; as well as a general beautification programme. Recognising that publicity and education alone would not solve the problem of litter, the emphasis of the campaign was on law enforcement as well as public education and community involvement. During 1982, a total of 56 500 people were fined for litter offences.
Controls
In maintaining and improving standards of hygiene through the enforcement of the Public Health and Urban Services Ordinance, district health inspectors regularly inspect licensed premises, residential and commercial buildings, and construction sites. Special inspections are also carried out to deal with vermin infestations and complaints about unhygienic conditions. The health inspectors also work closely with the staff of the Medical and Health Department in the investigation and control of food poisoning outbreaks and infectious diseases.