Statistical information in this report
refers to the calendar year 19,59
L. THE COLONY'S HEALTH SERVICE
INTRODUCTION
THE Colony of Hong Kong occupies a land area of 398) square miles. The estimated mid-year population in 1959 was 2,857,000 of which approximately 86% is concentrated in the urban areas of Kowloon and Hong Kong Island, This distribution of a population of 2,457,000 within 21 square miles of the urban areas gives rise to an average density of 117,000 persons to the square mile. It is a young population and although the age structure will not be known accurately until after the 1961 census, there is good reason to believe that one third is aged 15 years or under, that there are some 460,000 children of pre-school age and that there is a predominance of males amongst the young adults.
2. At the end of a decade and during World Refugee Year it is appropriate to review the demands on the medical and health services and the progress made towards meeting these demands. Despite shortage of land, housing and domestic water supplies an increase of population of some 1,000,000 due to the influx of refugees has been accepted. These refugees have not been segregated as such but have become part of the community and the medical and health services of Government and other agencies have been operated on a basis of serving the medical need of the individual without query as to origin.
3. The impact on all services has been of staggering proportions and heavy public expenditure on water supplies, housing, communications and social services has been met from the Colony's own resources. Shortage of trained medical, nursing and health staff has so far been the most important factor limiting the expansion of the medical services. As a result, the building and staffing of clinics and hospitals has not been able to keep pace with the rapidly increasing demands for western medicine. Thus more and more work has fallen on already over- burdened institutions. Nevertheless by applying modern methods of prevention and cure the results as measured by the vital statistics of the past ten years, have been encouraging. However there can be no complacency in the face of the enormity of the task ahead and the necessity for an increasing tempo of development if the needs of a population increasing by approximately 3% per annum are to be met,
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