Over 428 000 school children from 1 069 schools participated in the Scheme as at 31 March 1989, representing a coverage of about 54% of the total eligible school population.
The School Health Service, a Government responsibility, deals with the environmental health and sanitation of school premises and the control of communicable diseases. School health officers, health visitors and health inspectors make frequent inspections of schools, and advise on matters concerning the health of the children and organise special health educational activities and immunization campaign.
Hospitals
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Hospital-and-61inie-Services
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There are three types of hospitals in Hong Kong Government, Government-assisted and private with a total of 25 057 beds representing 4.4 beds per thousand of the population. Pressure on the service was experienced on all fronts, as reflected by the constantly high attendance at out-patient clinics, accident and emergency departments and by the number of hospital admissions.
To ensure better co-ordination within the health sector, the Department adopts a regional approach in the planning and administration of medical and health services. Vader the scheme, hospital and clinic facilities situated in a common geographical area are grouped together to form an integrated network of services. The aim is to ensure a more even utilization of medical facilities in both the Government and Government-subvented hospitals and clinics.
In 1988, the total attendance at Government and Government- assisted Accident and Emergency Departments was 1 200 409, averaging 3 280 attendances per day. A total of 680 774 patients were treated in the 14 Government and 20 Government-assisted hospitals.
Clinics
General out-patient services form a vital part of the primary health care system. The Government operates 63 (54 public and 9 non-public) general out-patient clinics. Where necessary, cases are referred to polyclinics or specialist 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 services. Mobile dispensaries and floating clinics take medical services to the outlying islands and the more remote 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 operates two main out-patient clinics and a number of part-time clinics in the territory. In 1988 there were a total of 259 007 attendances to these clinics. Emergency service is also provided in the major regional hospitals. There are a total of 96 ophthalmic hospital beds available for use by the Unit. Mobile ophthalmic teams visit these hospitals on a sessional basis to perform elective and emergency surgery as well as to deal with cases referred from other clinical units. In 1988, a total of 2 535 operations were performed in the hospitals and a further 4 608 operations were performed in the out-patient eye clinics. The number of blindness registered was 636 in 1988. The pattern of the causes for blindness was mainly degenerative in nature.
The Unit also provides an orthoptic service to assist in the assessment and treatment of patients with disturbance in ocular mobility, and a low vision service for the assessment, follow-up and management of patients with low residual vision.
Far, -Nose-and-Threat-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 admitted in 1998 was 2 760 with 2 097 surgical operations performed. The Unit also runs 17 full- and part-time out-patient clinics. In 1988, the total attendance was 118 968. Minor operations and therapeutic procedures are also performed in these out-patient clinics. Speech therapy services were available in 10 clinics for those who have developed speech difficulties as a result of recent disease or surgery, and 7 405 patient-sessions for assessment and treatment were conducted in 1988. The audiological personnel in the unit performed 12 190 audiometric assessments in § audiological centres within the year.
Mental-Health- Service
The Mental Health Service, in conjunction with academic and voluntary bodies, provides a comprehensive psychiatric service for the mentally-ill. Sophisticated treatment facilities are available at the two major psychiatric hospitals - Castle Peak Hospital with 1 935 beds and Kwai Ching Hospital with 1 510 beds and at the psychiatric units of regional. and district hospitals. In line with the universal trend of operating smaller psychiatric units within general hospitals, an additional 2 197 beds are to be provided in the various hospitals under planning.
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