HEALTH
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The Expert Working Group on Occupational Health Services, which was established by the Director of Health in December 1991 to improve the provision of occupational health services in Hong Kong, submitted its report in September 1992. Of its 39 recommendations, some 30 have been implemented or are at various stages of implementation through redeployment of staff, improving work systems and procedures, and mobilising resources from non-government agencies such as the Occupational Safety and Health Council, the universities and the Pneumoconiosis Compensation Fund Board. These recommendations included, among other things, the setting up of an occupational health clinic - the first of its kind
the first of its kind — in Kwun Tong. The clinic opened on November 30 to provide the working population with a new specialised service specifically for the consultation, treatment and investigation of work-related diseases.
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Dental Services
The School Dental Service aims to promote dental health among primary school children. Services include regular dental examinations, treatment and oral health education. Participation is voluntary at an annual fee of $20 per child. In the 1993-94 school year, 385 938 children from 954 schools participated, representing 80 per cent of the primary school population.
A pilot Youth Dental Care Programme was launched in 1993. It aimed to transfer primary six school-leavers from the existing School Dental Service to a private practice- -based dental programme in their secondary school years. The pilot scheme was carried out in Tuen Mun and Yuen Long in collaboration with the Hong Kong Dental Association, involving a target of 9 765 primary six students and over 50 dentists working in the area.
The department's Oral Health Education Unit organises oral health education activities for the community. In February, the unit launched a pilot three-year education programme for 400 000 pre-school children. Plans are also in hand to procure and outfit an education bus for wide dissemination of oral health messages throughout Hong Kong.
A pilot scheme began operating at the Tuen Mun Hospital Dental Unit on August 1 to provide comprehensive dental treatment for patients classified under the special need group.
The Government Dental Service provides emergency treatment for the public at a number of district dental clinics. Dental treatment is also provided for patients in public hospitals and inmates of correctional institutions.
Services for the Mentally Ill and Mentally Handicapped
Medical services for mentally ill persons include treatment in hospitals, outpatient clinics and day hospitals, and outreaching services. The Hospital Authority, in conjunction with various government departments and non-government organisations, provides a comprehensive psychiatric service for the territory. Emphasis is placed on continuity of care and integrating rehabilitation with medical treatment.
At the end of 1993, 3 322 beds were provided in psychiatric hospitals, and 1 157 beds in public psychiatric units of general hospitals. An additional 1 510 beds are being planned for psychiatric patients in public hospitals by the year 2000. Psychiatric patients are treated, as far as possible, in the community. The community work and aftercare units of the psychiatric hospitals provide multi-disciplinary assistance to discharged patients. The community psychiatric nursing service and domiciliary occupational therapy service, in particular, aim to provide continual care and treatment programmes for discharged