MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH SERVICES
(See tables 12-331)
53. There is increasing public appreciation of the value of these services in the maintenance of health amongst infants and expectant and nursing mothers, and 75.49% of children born attended a Centre on at least one occasion; the corresponding figure for 1965 was 63.1%- Only 0.15% of the new attendances at infant welfare centres were found to have abnormalities; of these, the majority were either congenital defects or the effects of prematurity. A further encouraging trend is the increasing appreciation by expectant mothers of the need for regular ante-natal care as reflected in increasing attendances at ante-natal ses- sions and by the low maternal mortality rate.
54. The subsidiary centres at Kowloon Police Quarters and Li Cheng Uk Resettlement Estate were replaced by a full-time centre at the newly-opened Cheung Sha Wan Jockey Club Clinic. The full-time Kowloon Maternal and Child Health Centre in Tsim Sha Tsui was replaced by the full-time Yau Ma Tei Maternal and Child Health Centre in the recently opened Yau Ma Tei Jockey Club Folyclinic. Since then, the subsidiary centre in the old premises at Yau Ma Tei Public Dispensary was discontinued.
SCHOOL HEALTH SERVICE
55. The Medical and Health Department provides an advisory service to the Education Department on matters relating to environ- mental health and hygiene in schools. Inspection of schools is carried out by School Health Inspectors with special regard to lighting, ventila- tion and sanitary arrangements, and immunization against diphtheria, cholera and smallpox was carried out in the schools during the year by staff attached to the Area Health Officers.
56. Tuberculin testing was carried out on primary school entrants by inoculators of the Chest Service and B.C.G. vaccine was given where necessary. Positive reactors with a reading of over 15 mm were sub- mitted to X-ray examination, and further investigation of 1,602 pupils examined radiologically revealed 22 cases of active tuberculosis who were given treatment. 245 pupils were placed under observation. Health Visitors interviewed all pupils with active tuberculosis and every effort was made to try and determine the source of infection, with special emphasis on home contacts.
1*
$7. In August 1966 the work of the School Health Service was taken over by the Area Health Officers who were currently gazeltod as Medical Officers of Schools.
SCHOOL MEDICAL SERVICE BOARD
(See table 34)
58. The School Medical Service, which commenced in September 1964, is administered by the School Medical Service Board, an inde pendent statutory body incorporated by Ordinance, and operated by private medical practitioners. Remuneration of the doctors is on a per capita basis, balf the annual fee being paid by the participating pupil and half contributed by Government which also meets the Board's administrative expenses.
59. During the year under review the system of enrolment was modified and a method of 'continuous enrolment was introduced. At 31st March, 1967 the number of pupils participating was 56,115 from 661 schools, compared with 50,394 pupils from 517 schools on the same date in the previous year. Doctors participating in the scheme numbered 227 compared with 250 in the previous year.
DENTAL SERVICE
(See table 35)
60. The Dental Service provides dental care for Government Officers and their dependants. limited specialized treatment for in-patients of Government Hospitals and for prisoners, and emergency treatment for members of the general public.
61. The new Yau Ma Tei Dental Clinic in the Yau Ma Tei Jockey Club Polyclinic provides six dental surgeries fitted with the latest dental equipment and an up-to-date dental laboratory. There is now a total of 30 Government Dental Clinics.
62. In the field of dental health, fluoridation of the water supplies has been continued since 1961, while advantage is taken of major educa- tional exhibitions to distribute information and advice on the main- tenance of dental health.
63. Although no training in dentistry is undertaken in Hong Kong, a programme of overseas training is maintained by Government and during the year three scholarships were again awarded to students for
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