average of 25 major operations were performed each day throughout the year. Head injuries and severe burns continued to increase in num- bers and the main non-traumatic emergency is acute cholangitis. In the non-acute field, the range of surgery was wide, including closed heart and pulmonary surgery. In one surgical unit some 50 radical excisions of the oesophagus were performed. The second surgical unit formed has enabled a wider scope of plastic surgery to be undertaken, the specialist in charge having recently returned from a course of study of modern techniques in this field.
271. As would be expected under existing conditions, the orthopaedic unit dealt mainly with admissions due to trauma which accounted for 90% of the total. There has been a significant rise in the number of fractures of the neck of the femur in elderly people.
272. With a population containing 40% of children under 15 years of age, increased bed accommodation for paediatric cases has been essential. The opening of one new paediatric ward resulted in an in- crease of admissions to the Paediatric Unit by 51.5% during the first 3 months of 1962. In addition a convalescent ward for children was allocated in the Lai Chi Kok Hospital which has greatly helped the turnover in the acute beds. Bronchopneumonia, gastroenteritis and burns have accounted for the majority of admissions.
273. A helicopter landing strip was completed at the hospital in March 1962, which enables emergencies from outlying districts to be brought direct to the grounds. One case from Tai O, the most distant township in the Colony, was actually in bed in a surgical ward twenty- five minutes after being put on board the helicopter. This journey nor- mally takes five to six hours by launch and ambulance.
Queen Mary Hospital
274. This hospital of 501 beds on Hong Kong Island is the largest Government acute hospital in the Colony, It is the University Teaching Hospital and the Specialist Centre for Hong Kong Island. There is a Casualty Department which receives all emergency cases from the Island and serves a population of one million. There is no general outpatient department at the hospital.
275. The University Departments of Medicine, Surgery, Orthopaedics and Obstetrics and Gynaecology are all under the direction of a Pro- fessor and carry the clinical responsibility for a total of 296 beds. There are Government Medical, Surgical, Paediatric, Radiology, Radiotherapy. Neurosurgery, Thoracic Surgery, Anaesthetic and Ear, Nose and Throat
64
Units, each in charge of a Specialist. All nursing and other staff are provided by Government. There are Pharmacy and Surgical Supply. Physiotherapy. Occupational Therapy. Blood Bank and Almoning Services. The Clinical Pathology is carried out by the University Deparı- ment of Pathology. The Medical Superintendent is a Government Prin- cipal Medical and Health Officer and is assisted by a Hospital Secretary, 276. Specialist outpatient clinics are held at the Sai Ying Pun Polyclinic by the University and some Government clinical units. Government specialist clinics are also held at the Violet Peel Polyclinic.
277. Throughout the year, there was a daily bed-occupancy averag- ing 720 with an average duration of stay of 14 days. The pattern of emergency admissions is broadly the same as in Kowloon and required the use of camp beds varying between 110 and 90 with a daily average of 100.
278. The Casualty Department, which provides a 24 hour service, dealt with 58,559 attendances during the year. There is a helicopter laading strip close to the hospital.
279. There were 18.247 admissions during the year and the table below sets out the work done over the past five years.
TABLE 23
QUEEN MARY HOSPITAL 1957-61 Including Casualty and Chutpatient Department
1953
1957
1939
1960
1961
Maternity Cases
1,950
1.975
1.962
2,144
1.324
General Inpatients (excluding
Maternity)
11,775
13.994
13.224
15.133
15,923
Total Outpatient attendances Casualties attended (included in
above figures) Operations (excluding
42,513
44.845 53,306 47,437
58.559
13.896
14,101 22,307 *23,402
41.936
minor
N 1
per-
6,977
6.4
7,230
7.3
7,312
8.160
8,420
75
7.0
7.3
($300
Mortality (expressed
centage of admissions) Tsan Yuk Hospital
280. This is the main specialist obstetric hospital in the Colony and the clinical supervision of the 200 beds is undertaken by the University Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. She is assisted by her Univer- sity Lecturer Staff and by Government Medical and Health Officers; all nursing and other staff are provided by Government.
281. It is the teaching centre in Obstetrics for medical under- gradustes and the training school for midwives who are undergoing the
6,5