UNICEF Assistance
141. The UNICEF-sponsored milk feeding programme continued throughout the year, a total of 107,435 lbs. of milk powder was dis- tributed to the various feeding centres of both Government and volun- tary agencies throughout the Colony-
AUXILIARY MEDICAL SERVICE
142. This branch of the Essential Service Corps has a strength of over 5,000 men and women trained to augment the Colony's hospital and first-aid services during an emergency; approximately half of this strength is used to make up 43 Ambulance Depot Teams spread over 26 districts throughout the Colony. Assistance was given by members of the service during an air crash which occurred in August 1965.
143.
During the year two Forward Medical Aid Units were formed and equipped. One Unit is based on Queen Elizabeth Hospital and one on Queen Mary Hospital. These Units, manned by Medical Department Staff of the Casualty Departments, assisted by A.M.S. members, can rapidly move to the scene of any disaster and set up an emergency treatment centre in the most suitable building nearby.
GOVERNMENT-ASSISTED HOSPITALS
(See table 67)
144. Financial assistance mainly by means of an annual subvention is given by Government to certain voluntary organizations maintaining hospitals in the Colony. Such bospitals, containing a total of 5,975 beds, provide mainly subacute general beds or facilities for persons suffering from certain specific diseases or handicaps. The total Govern- meat subvention to these hospitals was estimated at over $34,000,000 recurrent and $7,000,000 special expenditure during the past financial
year.
THE TUNG WAF GROUP OF HOSPITALS
145. The Tung Wah Group of Hospitals is a long-established Chinese charitable organization and is managed by a Board of Direc- tors elected annually. During recent years a programme of modern- ization and expansion has been undertaken mainly with the aid of assistance from Government in terms of personnel, especially general practitioner and consultant services, money and material, the former
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amounting to over $20,000,000 recurrent and over $5,200,000 capital during the year. The main item in this programme has been the re- development of the Kwong Wah Hospital in Kowloon into a modern general hospital of some 1,500 beds: this re-development was Gually completed during the year.
146. The Casualty Department at Kwong Wah Hospital was open- ed on 5th July, 1965 in order to relieve some of the heavy pressure on the Casualty Department in Queen Elizabeth Hospital and to provide additional casualty facilities for the public in Kowloon and the New Territories. The Department was staffed by nurses and Medical Officers seconded from Government. Up to the end of the year under review there were over 35,000 casualty attendances at the Department, and traumatic cases occupied 21.5% of the total attendances.
147. The need for subsidiary beds for long-term patients is one of the major aims of the Medical Development Plan, and the Group is currently undertaking two projects to provide these. The first is the construction of a large infirmary at Wong Tai Sin and phase I of this project, built mainly with the aid of a donation of $1,536,000 from the Australian World Refugee Year Fund and a Government grant of $775,000, provides 350 infirmary beds and was completed in September 1965. Construction started during the year on phase li of this project and also on a second project at Sandy Bay which will contain 275 beds which is designed to replace the existing but dilapidated accommoda- tion at the present Sandy Bay Infirmary. Both these projects will be financed to the extent of 80% by Government.
THE ALICE HO MIU LING NETHERSOLB HOSPITAL
148. This hospital, supported by the London Missionary Society, received a Government subvention of almost $2,000,000 during the year. The hospital management continued its negotiations with other religious bodies, both in Hong Kong and overseas, on the proposal to establish a United Christian Hospital in Kowloon.
149. Work was carried out during the year on extra quarters for nursing staff and plans have been prepared for the further extension and modernization of the hospital.
POK OI HOSPITAL
150. This charitable hospital at Yuen Long in the New Territories continued a programme of modest expansion, for which Government
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