111
Also however divided
on western lines and accepting the treatment there offered opinions may be regarding the propriety of Government effort or voluntary effort controlling general hospitals there can be no doubt that all infectious disease hospitals should be Government institutions.
53. The Chinese Dispensaries, nine in number, are outpatient clinics where only western medicine is practised. Each is in charge of a fully qualified medical man responsible to the committee. In a number of these institutions a Government midwife gives daily assistance in attending to the needs of women and children. Once or twice a week a Chinese Lady Medical Officer of the Medical Department holds a gynaecological clinic for any who wish to attend. The dispensaries are centres for vaccination and for the registrations of births. Altogether they are excellent institutions.
54. Both Hospitals and Dispensaries are visited periodically by two European Medical Officers who work in close connection with the Secretary for Chinese Affairs and who advise the various Chinese Committees. Four times a year the institutions are inspected by the Director of Medical Services.
The New Territories.
55. In 1928 there was little medical activity in the New Territories where the population, estimated at 100,000 was grouped in villages some of which were a con- siderable distance from the road and some only readily accessible by sea. No effort had been made by private individuals to provide facilities for obtaining western medical treatment. It was said that the people were of an independent nature suspicious of strangers and unwilling to accept western medicine.
56. The Government had opened a dispensary in rented premises in the market village of Tai Po and had placed in charge a Chinese Medical Officer. Twice a week he visited Un Long a similar market village on the other side of the mountains where there was a small dispensary in charge of a resident dresser.
57. There were four Government midwives situated respectively at Taipo, Un Long, Tsun Wan and Cheung Chau, the last being a large fishing village on an island some eight miles from Hong Kong.
58. The following table shows for comparison the situation in 1928 and that in 1936-
1928
1936
Chinese Medical Officers
1
2
Dressers
1
4
Midwives
9
Dispensaries
Travelling Dispensary
NO
2
6
0
1
Cases treated as outpatients
8,541
74,331
Vaccinations
2,161
7,691
Maternity cases
700
917
Births registered
0
3,367
Deaths registered
0
2,384
59. Action by the Medical Department in 1929 to increase facilities for dispensing western medicine was quickly followed by action on the part of two voluntary associations the St. John's Ambulance Brigade and a newly formed body of medical men calling themselves the New Territories Medical Benevolent Association. The scheme of the Medical Department had to be modified to work in with those of the voluntary bodies. The two societies which now form one branch of the St. John's Ambulance Association maintain a fifty bed hospital on Cheung Chau, a maternity hospital at Tsun Wan and another at Kam Tin, and five small dispensaries.