113. New facilities which became available during the year are detailed in paragraphs 171 to 172 of this report.
114. In addition to general out-patient services, regular out-palient 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 nine 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' while the 'flying doctor' service to more isolated and inaccessible villages was maintained.
SPECIALIST SERVICES
115. There are Government Specialist Clinical Units in medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, anaesthesiology, dentistry, neuro- surgery, ophthalmology, orthopaedic surgery, otorhinolaryngology, pa- thology, 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 Special- ists 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
(Sec tables 57-58)
116. The Medical Department Institute of Radiology operates a service consisting of Radiodiagnosis, Radiotherapy, including the use of radioisotopes in the diagnosis and treatment of certain diseases, Radiation Physics and Clinical Photography. It serves mainly Govern- ment institutions but free consultant services are available to the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals and to the Pok Oi Hospital in the New Territories and such services are also available to medical practitioners in private practice. The Institute maintains a radiation monitoring and protection service for the Colony, undertakes the teaching of medical students of the University of Hong Kong in the fundamentals of radio- diagnosis and radiotherapy and operates a Colony-wide Cancer Registry.
117. With the enactment of regulations under the Radiation Ordin- ance on 1st October, 1965, a programme of inspection of premises, including hospitals where irradiating apparatus and radioactive sub- stances are used by registered medical and dental practitioners outside
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Government Service for medical purposes, was commenced. A number of factories employing irradiating apparatus or radioactive sub- stances for industrial use are also visited. This programme of visits continued throughout the year under review, advice on the improvement of radiation protection facilities being given where required, and sub- sequent visits being paid to ensure that improvements suggested have been carried out. In May 1968, the Institute commenced a co-operative research programme with the International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyons, France, on the possible role of virus in the development of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. The cost of this research is being borne by the International Agency through the Hong Kong Anti-Cancer Society. The research programme continues.
OPHTHALMOLOGY
(See tables 59-60)
118. This service maintains three full-time centres with surgical facilities, and in addition holds regular sessions at out-patient clinics in urban and rural areas. 54% of the major operations were performed on an out-patient basis, and increased availability of beds enabled waiting lists to remain at almost negligible proportions.
119. During the year, the number of persons first registered as blind fell further from 345 in the previous year to 279, including 15 under the age of 15 years. Following successful operations, some 32 patients were removed from the register.
120. Trends of previous years in the causation of blindness were continued, with increasing frequency of the eye diseases of advancing age and a reduction in those caused by deficiency states and trauma; senile cateract and glaucoma have replaced keratomalacia as the predominant causes, and, amongst children, the main cause of blindness is congenital defect, while blindness due to keratomalacia is now comparatively rare.
PHARMACEUTICAL SERVICE
(See table 61)}
121. This service is concerned with the enforcement of the Ordin- ances dealing with Dangerous Drugs. Pharmacy and Poisons, and Antibiotics as well as the control, manufacture and supply of drugs and the supply of dressings, medical and surgical instruments and sundries to hospitals, clinics, health centres and other units of the
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