36
TABLE 19.
Births attended by a doctor or midwife.
Queen Mary Hospital...
Kowloon Hospital
Ak
Taan Yuk Hospital
Eastern Maternity
Hace
-
1940
1947
1048
1949
117
308
719
1,164
1,261
1,180
1,287
2,615
3,826
4,458
4,223
1.833
1831
1,783
Private Hospitals
4,055
12,161
15387
Goet. Dlepersaries
(Attended by Mid-
wives)
640
1,260
1,582
2,013
Private Maternity
Homes
9,686
13.150
11,321
18,750
Total birthe delivered
in hospitals and
maternity homes
18,883
20,504
36,261
44,587
Domiciliary Cases
delivered by Mid- wives
1237
10.120
8,991
Total number of births
attended
39,831
46,384
63,578
Number of birthe un-
attended
6,577
2,642
1,091
Total number of births
31,098
42,479
47,475
64.774
Percentage of births
attended
93.8%
97.7%
97.8%
162. The astonishing figure of 97.3% of all births attended either by the doctor or a midwife, one decimal point higher than in 1948, shows a remarkable appreciation of the services pro- vided from both private and Government sources. This state of affairs, in which practically every child comes under the care of a trained worker at birth, provides an administrative link with the infants born in the Colony by which it is hoped to encourage a far greater attendance at the infant welfare centrea and which may be used in later projects for B.C.G. immunisa- tion of all infants born in the Colony.
163. The Supervisor of Midwives is also Secretary of the Midwives Board and gives the Board first hand information of the standard of work of the midwives and the conditions of their maternity homes, and so facilitates their control of the practice of midwifery in the Colony.
97
VL----HOSPITALS AND DISPENSARIES.
164. Annexure J gives a summary of the cases treated in the Government and Government assisted hospitals, clinics and dispensaries.
165. Annexure K shows cases treated at Government and Government-assisted hospitals and the total deaths in the Colony for 1949.
166. Owing to the great influx of people into the Colony during the year all hospital and out-patients' facilities were grossly overtaxed. Doctors, nurses and Dispensers were all working at a speed which made proper attention to each patient well-nigh impossible. These overworked and harassed officers had the ever present fear that working in such circum- stances there was a greatly increased risk of some serious mistake being made. The fact that no such serious mistakes were made during the year reflects very highly on their skill and patience.
(a) Queen Mary Hospitol.
167. This is the largest and most fully equipped hospital in the Colony containing normally 650 beds. In September additional beds were put up in the wards bringing the total to 676. This hospital provides not only a training centre for nurses, but is the hospital at which the medical students receive their clinical instruction, and approximately 200 beds are allotted to the University units for this purpose.
168. There is no general out-patient department at this hospital which is situated four miles out from the centre of the town but a large out-patient clinic held at Sai Ying Pun is directly linked with it and special clinics are held there and at the Violet Peel Polyclinic by the staff of the Queen Mary Hospital.
160. All admissions to the hospital paas through the handa of the almoners who assess their ability to paying fees and investigate their home conditions and give financial or other assistance where necessary. During the year 8,794 in-patients were treated as compared with 7,099 in 1948. Maternity cases total 1,233 as compared with 760 in 1948. There were 569 deaths, 200 of them occurring within 24 hours of admission. 4,459 operations were performed compared with 4,258 in 1948. 348 physical examinations were carried out in connection with appointments to the Government service or for confirmation to the permanent establishment.