OUT-PATIENT SERVICES
(See tables 55-57)
H11. Pressure remained heavy throughout the year on all 40 general out-patient clinics and also on most specialized ones. Trends during the past ten years are shown in Figure 12.
NO. OF ATTENDANCES IN MILLIONS
D
1957
CE
FIGURE 1S
OUT-PATIENT ATTENDANCES 1957. FOGG
TOTAL ATTENDANCES
NEW ATTENDANCES
BJ
62
67
YEAR
K
64
112. New facilities which became available during the year are detailed in paragraphs 166 to 169 of this report.
113. In addition to general out-patient services, regular out-patient sessions were maintained at a number of clinics by staff of specialized units. Evening and public holiday out-patient sessions continued to be held at seven clinics in the more densely-populated areas. The more remote areas of the New Territories continued to be served by two mobile dispensaries and two 'floating clinics'. The flying doctor' service to more isolated and inaccessible villages continued.
SPECIALIST SERVICES
114. There are Government Specialist Clinical Units in medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, anaesthesiology, dentistry, neuro- surgery, ophthalmology, orthopaedic surgery, otorhinolaryngology,
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pathology, paediatrics, psychiatry, radiodiagnosis, radiotherapy, social hygiene, thoracic surgery and tuberculosis. In addition, the Professors and certain Senior Lecturers of the University Faculty of Medicine act as consultants in medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, ortho- paedics, pathology and paediatrics. A number of Government Specialists act as Honorary Consultants to the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals and others serve as part-time lecturers in the University clinical departments,
RADIOLOGICAL SERVICES
(See tables $8-59)
115. The Medical Department Institute of Radiology operates a service consisting of Radiodiagnosis. Radiotherapy, Radiation Physics and Clinical Photography. It serves mainly Government institutions but free consultant services are available to the Tung Wab Group of Hospitals and the Pok Oi Hospital in the New Territories. Consultant services are also available to medical practitioners in private practice on payment of a fee to Government. The institute also maintains a radiation monitoring and protection service for the Colony and under- takes teaching of medical students of the University of Hong Kong in the fundamentals of radiodiagnosis and radiotherapy.
116. With the enactment of the Regulations of the Radiation Ordin- ance on 1st October, 1965, a programme of inspection of premises including hospitals where irradiating apparatus and radioactive sub- stances were used by registered medical and dental practitioners outside Government service for medical purposes was commenced. A number of factories employing irradiating apparatus or radioactive substances for industrial use were also visited. At the time of these visits advice for the improvement of radiation protection facilities where required was given and this was followed by subsequent visits to ensure that the improve- ments suggested had been carried out before a licence to use the irradiating apparatus or radioactive substance was issued,
OPHTHALMOLOGY
(See tables 60-61)
117. This service maintains two full-time centres with surgical facilities, one on Hong Kong Island and one in Kowloon, and in addition holds regular sessions at out-patient clinics in urban and rural areas. Eighty per cent of operations were performed on an out-patient basis, while the increased availability of beds due to the opening of the
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