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HEALTH
The AMS had an establishment of over 5 200 volunteer members at the end of the year. They comprised physicians, nurses, pharmacists, dispensers, radiographers, paramedical personnel, civil servants and laymen in the private sector.
By statutory requirement, the Director of Health is the Commissioner and Unit Controller of the AMS. Assisted by a number of Deputy and Assistant Commissioners appointed on a voluntary basis, he is responsible to the Governor for the efficient operation of the corps.
Volunteer members receive comprehensive training as and where necessary in areas covering first-aid, squad drill, basic ambulance aid-and practical ambulance manning, casualty evacuation, home nursing, clinical and hospital ward attachment, life-saving, leadership and management development. In November, an expert from Australia was commissioned to conduct training courses on disaster medicine for volunteer members who are medical and nursing professionals, to enhance their operational efficiency and effectiveness.
During emergencies, volunteer 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.
If paramedical assistance is required, the AMS Emergency Response Task Force would be available at short notice. Medical officers, nurses and trained members of the force are equipped to provide nursing aid, minor surgery and other life-saving measures on the spot.
Apart from being in full readiness to perform emergency roles and functions, the AMS is committed to providing supplementary medical services to government departments and outside agencies for ambulance manning; lifeguard duties; clinical services in methadone clinics and refugee camps; and first-aid coverage at country parks, cycling tracks, school activities and major public functions.
During the year, the AMS continued to assist in the daily manning of 23 methadone clinics and to provide round-the-clock clinical manning at eight sick bays in five Vietnamese boat people centres. More than 681 966 man-hours were committed to operational tasks.
The AMS also provides first-aid training to frontline civil servants. A total of 4050 government officers completed the basic first-aid certificate course and qualified as first-aiders in 1993 under this training scheme.
Environmental Hygiene
The Urban Council and Regional Council are responsible for environmental hygiene. Working under the two councils, respectively, the Urban Services Department and the Regional Services Department are responsible for street cleaning, collection and removal of refuse and nightsoil, the cleansing of gullies, management of public toilets and bathhouses, pest control and services for the dead.
A workforce of about 8 199 people is employed in cleansing duties, deploying a fleet of 583 specialised vehicles which include refuse collection vehicles, street-washers, mechanical sweepers, nightsoil collectors and gully emptiers.
Streets are swept, either manually or mechanically, from up to six times a day for busy thoroughfares to once every second day for village lanes. Streets and lanes are also hosed