In 1983, the total attendances at government and government- assisted Accident and Emergency Departmanta waa 1 013 210, averaging 2 776 attendances per day. A total of 636 891 patients were treated in the 13 government and 19 government-assisted hospitals.
Clinica
General out-patient services form a vital part of the primary health care system. The government operates 59 general out-patient clinics. Where necessary, cases are referred to polyclinica or specialiat clinics for specialist attention. Evening, Sunday and Public Holiday sessions are also held at clinics which are heavily subscribed as part of an overall measure to meet the expanding demand for out-patient sarvions. Mobile dispensaries and floating clinics take medical services to the outlying islanda and the mare renote areas of the New Territories. Other inaccessible areas are visited regularly by the flying doctor' service with assistance from the Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force.
Ophthalmic Service
The Unit runs two main out-patient speciallat eye centres. In addition, mobile ophthalmic teams are gent around to operate other regional clinics on a sessional basis. A total of 218 786 attendances
recorded on a sessional basis in 1983. The Urit is also providing specialist accident and energency services in the majo regional hospitals. There are at present a total of 78 ophthalmi o bede in the public hospitals. Mobile ophthalmic teams visit those hospitale on a sessional basis to perform elective and energency surgery as well as to deal with cases referred from other clinical unita. In 1983, a total of 2049 operations were performed in the hospitals and a further 2 618 operations were performed in the out-patient eye clinica. The mumber of permanent blindness registered was 968 and the pattern of the causes for blindness was observed to be mainly degenerative in nature.
An Orthoptio Unit ma established to assist in the assessment and treatment of patients with defects in vision mand ooular motility. Additional teams of orthoptists would be established on a regional basis to help with the work of the ophthalmic service as well as the assessment of children in Child Aspesment Centres.
Nose and Throat Service
The ENT Unit comprises two main in-patient divisions with a total of 33 beds in Queen Mary Hospital and Queen Elizabeth Hospital. The total number of in-patients treated in 1983 was 2 610 with 1 998 surgical operations performed. The Unit also runs 11 full-and part-time out-patient clinica in urban and rural areas, In 1983, the total attendances at these ENT clinics were 68 519. Minor operations and therapeutic procedures were also performed in these out-patient clinics. Speech therapy services were also available on a limited soule for those who have developed speech difficulties as a result of recent diseases or surgery. With the small team of two speech therapists, only 4 216 attendances for assessment and treatment were recorded in 1983. The audiological personnal in the unit performed 9 039 sudionstric seeeeemente within the year.
Mental Health Service
The Nantal Health Service, in conjunction with other academio and voluntary bodies, provides a comprehenaive paychiatric ser vi ce for the mentally-ill. Sophisticated treatment facilities are available at the two major paychiatric hospitale Castle Peak Ecapital with 1 927 beds and Kwai Chung Hospital with 1 078 beds and at paychiatric unita in many regional and district hospitale. In line with the universal trend of operating smaller psychiatric unite within general hospitale, an addition of 2 450 beds are to be provided in the various hospitals under planning.
Supplementing the hospital facilities are paychiatric day centres, which provide a wide range of out-patient treatment, assessment, counselling and after-pare services on a regional basis, The centres also operate day hospital places and provide other social, cocupational and recreational therapy services for the mentally-ill.
In 1983, there were 6 499 admissions to the mental hospitale, 578 to the various day hospitala and 194 424 attendancee at the out-patiant paychiatric centres. Medical staff were hard pressed by the increasing mmber of medical boarda, and of referrals from courte, probation officers and police as well as the newly established Social Security Appeal Boarde and the Compensation Boards for a6849ging emotional damages of sexual offences and other violent crimes, Clinical paychologiata of the Mental Health Service conducted a total of 8 824 interviews which entailed assessment and therapeutic functiona»
Pursuing the practice of community psychiatry and adopting the multidisciplinary team approach in patient namgement, special emphasis is placed on the after-care of discharged mental patienta during their integration back into the community. In the year, the newly established Community Paychiatric Nursing Service provides continuity in after-care treatment programmes to patients discharged. from Kwai Chung Hospital. Other complicentury rehabilitative supporting services which include after-care social service, placement service, half-way houses, long stay care homes, social clubs, etc. are organised by the various voluntary agencies and these services are closely monitored and co-ordinated by the Rehabilitation Development Co-ordinating Committee.
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