164. The Central Laundry Organization continued to be kept under review, particularly with reference to its future requirements, and its relationship with other essential service departments. Work on the new Shau Ki Wan laundry proceeded. It was hoped that this unit would be in operation by October 1972, and that it would ease the load on the existing services at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Approval was obtained for a third laundry in Kowloon, and planning would start soon,
165. The reorganization of the Medical and Health Department Staff society was completed and this, combined with the appointment of a Staff Welfare Officer, helped to promote harmonious staff relations during 1971.
166. Work on the planning and equipping of the new Lai Chi Kok Hospital was well underway in 1971. The design and types of standard and special items of bospital equipment were reviewed, and where necessary modified, in order to ensure that the most modern equipment would be obtained for the new hospital.
167. A degree of assistance was rendered to various subsidized hospitals, particularly medical equipment, and detailed requirements when planning new projects.
AUXILIARY MEDICAL SERVICE
168. This branch of the Essential Services Corps has a strength of more than 5,700 men and women-2,000 of whom are under 25-trained to augment Hong Kong's medical services during an emergency. Approximately half the strength was used in 1971 to make up the ambulance depot cams, dispersed throughout the Island, Kowloon and New Territories, and affiliated to the nearest ambulance service of the fire stations. These ambulance depot teams are trained to reinforce the regular ambulance service, and to provide mobile first-aid parties and light rescue teams, especially in the New Territories and outlying islands. 169. Members of the service assigned to emergency duties in medical establishments carry out training annually in one of the major hospitals. Members assigned to reinforce the ambulance service perform duties at weekends and on public holidays. There were more than 450 members. men and women, trained as life-savers, who reinforced regular life guards on beaches at weekends and on public holidays during the year.
170. Members attended at scenes of all major fires in 1971 to care for the injured and the homeless. Members were on duty during three
44
typhoon alerts during 1971. and helped to rescue persons from flooded areas in the New Territories.
171. The band of the AMS performed on many occasions in public parks, at medical functions, and gave concerts at hospitals at Christmas.
REGISTRATION OF MEDICAL CLINICS
(Table 72)
172. In accordance with the Medical Clinics Ordinance, all clinics were required to be re-registered annually. On 31st March, 1972, there were 75 registered static clinics, and three registered mobile clinics in the charge of registered medical practitioners, and 349 clinics registered with exemption, making a total of 427.
173. The low com 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 1971, there were 74 clinics in resettlement estates, and 18 in housing estates operates by registered doctors. In addition, there were 34 clinics in resettlement estates, and two clinics in housing estates, registered with exemption.
V. GOVERNMENT-ASSISTED HOSPITALS
(Tables 73–76)
174. Financial assistance, mainly by means of an annual subvention. is given by the Government to certain voluntary organizations main- taining hospitals in Hong Kong. Such hospitals, containing a total of 7,664 beds, provide mainly sub-acute general beds, or facilities for persons suffering from certain specific diseases, or handicaps. The total government subvention to these hospitals during the year was 378,942,866 recurrent, and $3,103,195 special expenditure.
TILE TUNG WAIL GROUP OF HOSPITALS
175. The Tung Wah group of hospitals is a long-established Chinese charitable organization, managed by a board of directors elected annually. During recent years, a programme of modernization and expansion has been undertaken, with assistance from the Government, in staff-especially medical officers and consultant services-mancy, and material. The subvention for this was $41,864,776.
45