178 Health
Food Safety. The Food Safety Testing Laboratory is expected to be commissioned in early 2008.
The laboratory has continued to provide a comprehensive analytical service to ensure the quality of Western and Chinese medicines that constitute an indispensable part of the healthcare system. In 2007, a total of 40 889 tests were carried out on western pharmaceutical products for compliance with the international or other acceptable standards in quality and safety. At the same time, 53 442 tests were conducted on Chinese herbal medicines for their harmful elements and pesticide residue contents, and proprietary Chinese medicines for the detection of adulteration with western drugs or controlled substances, as well as harmful elements contents. In addition, the laboratory provided full support for investigations into cases of adverse reaction or intoxication incidents related to inadvertent substitution or contamination of herbs in Chinese medicines. Active participation was sustained in the development of regulatory standards for Chinese medicinal herbs in Hong Kong.
The laboratory sustained year-round surveillance of tar and nicotine yields in cigarettes. Some 12 960 examinations were conducted during the year for affirmation of the data declared by tobacco traders. Results were published in the annual table for public information.
Public Health Laboratory Services
The Public Health Laboratory Centre and the Clinical Pathology Laboratory Centre of the Department of Health provide clinical diagnostic and public health laboratory services to the public and private health sectors for patient care and for other public health uses. The centres also process clinical and surveillance specimens to see if they contain infectious substances. The centres conducted more than 2 million such tests in 2007.
The Public Health Laboratory Centre has been designated by the World Health Organisation as the National Influenza Centre, the National Poliovirus Laboratory, the National Measles Laboratory, Regional Measles Reference Laboratory, Avian (H5) Influenza Reference Laboratory, SARS Reference Laboratory and a Supranational TB Reference Laboratory.
Hospital Laboratory Services
Hospital laboratories located in regional hospitals under the Hospital Authority provide a wide range of laboratory services in anatomical pathology, chemical pathology, haematology, blood bank, microbiology, immunology and tissue typing to ensure that all public hospitals, including those without onsite laboratories, have access to comprehensive laboratory services. These laboratories are supported by advanced information technology systems and automated devices to achieve operational efficiency. They were also accredited by a number of local and international accreditation bodies. In 2007, these hospital laboratories carried out more than 150 million tests.