HEALTH
With the exception of medical and nursing professionals, they all receive comprehensive training courses ranging from first-aid, squad drill, basic ambulance aid and practical ambulance manning, casualty evacuation, home nursing, clinical and hospital ward attachment and life saving, to leadership training and management development.
The main role of the AMS is to augment the regular services of the Department of Health, Hospital Services Department and Fire Services Department in times of natural disasters and emergencies such as typhoons, rainstorms or landslides, aircraft crashes, large-scale fires, major epidemics, civil disturbance, influx of illegal immigrants.
During emergency mobilisation situations, AMS members would be deployed and supplied with the necessary medical resources to provide immediate first-aid treatment for the injured at the disaster scene, to convey casualties to hospitals, to render nursing care to patients at both acute and convalescent hospitals and to work in collaboration with other rescue forces.
During normal times, AMS is also committed to provide supplementary medical services to government departments and outside agencies for ambulance manning, life-guard duties, clinical services in methadone centres and refugee camps, and first-aid coverage at country parks, cycling tracks, school activities and major public functions such as fireworks displays, Community Chest walks, charity shows, local festivals and sports meetings. The AMS continued to assist in the manning of 25 methadone clinics and provide round-the-clock clinical manning at 10 sick-bays in seven Vietnamese Illegal Immigrants Centres in 1991. More than 583 856 man-hours were committed for regular and emergency services in the year.
The provision of first-aid training to civil servants is another responsibility of AMS. A total of 3 563 government trainees completed the basic certificate course and qualified as first-aiders in 1991.
An English version of the Emergency Care Handbook is being prepared, to follow up the successful Chinese edition which was published in late 1990.
The new administration and operational headquarters in Ho Man Tin were officially opened by the Governor in December. The new building provides the AMS with a full range of special facilities such as a multi-purpose hall, an exhibition lobby, lecture rooms, simulated nursing wards, an operational control and duty room, operational bulk storage and a parade ground.
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