"
a new constitution designed to encourage staff participation in this organization.
157. The UNICEF sponsored milk feeding programme continued throughout the year and a total of 59,625 lbs. of milk powder was distributed to the various Government feeding centres in the Colony.
AUXILIARY MEDICAL SERVICE
158. This branch of the Essential Services Corps has a strength of over 5,200 men and women trained to augment the Colony's medical services during an emergency. Approximately half the strength is used to make up the Ambulance Depot Teams which are based on the Fire Services Ambulance Stations throughout the Colony. These Ambul- ance Depot Teams are trained to reinforce the Fire Services Ambulance Service and to provide mobile first aid teams as necessary.
159. Members of the Service who are assigned for emergency duties in Medical Establishments carry out training annually in one of the major hospitals. Members of the Service who are assigned to reinforce the Fire Services Ambulance Service perform duties with the latter service at weekends, as ambulance men, drivers and telephone/RT. operators.
160. During the outbreak of cholera in 1969 the Auxiliary Medical Service members, under the guidance of Medical Officers, staffed the Chatham Road Quarantine Centre, assigned for cholera contacts. Members also attended at the scenes of a number of fires in the Colony. During the summer 73 members qualified as life-savers. During the year an Auxiliary Medical Service Corps of drums and bugles was formed and performed in public four times,
REGISTRATION OF MEDICAL CLINICS
(Table 63)
161. In accordance with the Medical Clinics Ordinance. Chapter 343, all clinics, except the mobile vans which were formerly registered with exemption (that is operated by unregistered doctors), were required to be re-registered annually. As on 31st March, 1970, there were 75 registered static clinics and 3 registered mobile clinics in the charge of registered medical practitioners and 351 clinics registered with exemp- tion, making a total of 429.
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162. The Low Cost Medical Care Scheme under which static clinics are set up in Resettlement and Housing Estates continued to operate throughout the year, the aim being to provide one doctor for every 6,000 residents, with priority given to registered medical practitioners. At the end of the year under review there were 59 clinics in Resettlement Estates and 10 in Housing Estates being operated by registered doctors. In addition there were 30 clinics in Resettlement Estates and 2 clinics in Housing Estates which were registered with exemption.
V. GOVERNMENT-ASSISTED HOSPITALS
(Tables 66-69)
163. Financial assistance mainly by means of an annual subvention is given by Government to certain voluntary organizations maintaining hospitals in the Colony. Such hospitals. containing a total of 7,556 beds, provide mainly subacute general beds or facilities for persons suffering from certain specific diseases or handicaps. The total Govern- ment subvention to these hospitals during the year was $57,170,027 recurrent and $1.562.352 special expenditure.
THE TUNG WAH GROUP OF HOSPITALS
164, The Tung Wah Group of Hospitals is a long-established Chinese charitable organization and is managed by a Board of Directors elected annually. During recent years a programme of modernization and expansion has been undertaken with assistance from Government in terms of personnel, especially medical officer and consultant services. money and material, the subvention amounting to $31,169,168.
165. The Tung Wah Group of Hospitals will be celebrating the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Tung Wah Hospital in April 1970 and to mark the occasion, the Board of Directors proposes to demolish the out-dated Jubilee Block built in 1920. and to erect in its place a 12-storey Centenary Block with a complement of 424 beds, a new outpatient department, a new casualty department, new operating theatres, an X-ray department and additional quarters for 50 nurses.
The Casualty Department at Kwong Wah Hospital now handles all accident cases taking place between Waterloo Road and Lai Chi Kok Road. A police post has been established to deal with medico- legal cases, and an industrial nurse from the Labour Department
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