of work-places, the use of protective clothing and equipmem, and the provision of clinic or first-aid facilities.
256. Investigations continued into the working conditions in trades known to be hazardous to health, and medical supervision is maintained of workers in certain dangerous trades such as those in which lead and radio-active substances are handled. Health Visitors carry out individual case work on injured persons claiming compensation under the Work- men's Compensation Ordinance.
257. The Industrial Health Section conducted field surveys of working environments for detection of toxic gases, fumes and dust. Temperature and ventilation studies were made in a number of factories as well as investigations into ventilation of basement workrooms and into the health hazards of tunnelling.
258. Clinical field surveys carried out included chest X-ray examina- tions of workers in dusty trades for silicosis, and surveys of industrial dermatitis, of the health of the skin of workers handling tarry compounds and of Waterworks officers handling fluorides.
HEALTH EDUCATION
259. A better appreciation by the Colony's population of the basic principles of environmental hygiene and the prevention of disease con- tinue to be the main health objective. A very wide field is covered by many branches of the Medical and Health Department as an integral part of the service, and all available methods are used in the programmes undertaken. In general, those methods designed for individual or group education have proved to be the most effective, being used with partic- ular success is the Maternal and Child Health Service, the Tuberculosis Service and the Social Hygiene Service.
260. A number of other departments are concerned with various aspects of Health Education in their respective spheres, and the Inter- departmental Committee on Health Education formed in 1959 sits in an advisory capacity on any matters related to Health Education which may be referred to the Committee.
261. The co-operation of all voluntary bodies interested in health topics is actively sought and Kaifong Associations and Welfare Societies are particularly active in this field. Many of the Kaifongs take a lively and practical interest in the health problems of their respective districts and co-operate in immunization campaigns and in education on environ- mental hygiene. During the year, a Health Exhibition was organized by the 28 Kaifong Health Education Sections Committee, in which the
60
Medical and Health Department co-operated by producing displays of various aspects of preventive medicine.
262. The Health Education Team, formed during 1961 in the New Territories, was active in promoting better standards of hygiene and living conditions in rural areas and in preparing the way for immuniza- tion campaigns. The two 'floating clinics" donated by the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club and the 'flying doctor" helicopter service combined curative treatment with advice on environmental hygiene and the preven- tion of disease during visits to isolated coastal and inland villages.
IV. WORK OF THE MEDICAL DIVISION
263. The demands on the clinic and hospital services provided by Government continued to increase during the year. This increase has resulted from two main factors-the rapidly expanding population and the increasing tendency to turn from traditional Chinese medicine towards Western methods of treatment.
264. Figures I and II show the out-patient attendances, the provision of beds and the admissions to hospitals, both Government and non- Government, for the five year period 1959-1963,
ди
5,00HLDOR
4,000,000
what
1,000,00
FICORE I
OUT-PATIENT ATTENDANCES AT GOTERSMENT CLINICS
1959-1964
Sonda
1050
poga
1941
KONT
61