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154. During the year, 701 women were treated in this hospital. The attendances in Social Hygiene clinics are shown in Table 22.
TABLE 22.
Attendances at Social Hygiene Clinics.
Mala
Female
Total
Clinic
New
Nerw
Queen's Road West Wanchai
Old
Old
Ola
1,860 22.719 812 21,576 2,672 44,295 2,406 20.723 2,217 24,111 4.623 44.836 3,605 23,285 2.624 30.096 6.229 53,381
7.871 66.729 5.653 76.783 13,524 142,512
New
Tsim Sha Tsui
Total
155. In addition to these main clinics, small clinics were held in dispensaries in the New Territories, and treatment was given at the male prison at Stanley and the female prison at Lai Chi Kok. Whereas, the cases attending the urban clinics during 1950 included approximately equal numbers of gonorrhoea and syphilis, no cases of gonorrhoea reported for treatment in the New Territories. It is possible that this apparent absence of gonorrhoea can be, in part, accounted for by the fact that the ignorant Chinese country woman does not look upon gonorrhoea as a dis- esse, and would not, therefore, attend a clinic for treatment. 221 cases of congenital syphilis were treated during the year and 29 cases of opthalmia neonatorum.
156. Starting in November, 1950, free Kahn tests were provided for all pregnant women attending either ante-natal clinics or midwives in private practice.
167. In the case of midwives in private practice, the patient, on first booking with the midwife, is referred to the nearest Government dispen- sary for a sample of blood to be taken, the report being returned by the Pathological Institute to the Supervisor of Midwives. In the case of a positive report, the midwife concerned is immediately informed of the position and gives instructions to the patient to attend the nearest social hygiene clinic. At the same time a copy of the report is sent to the social hygiene clinic concerned for their information and to enable them to send a health visitor to persuade the patient to attend the clinic for treatment if she does not do so of her own accord.
158. Should the patient not attend the nearest dispensary to have a sample of blood taken, the midwife is instructed to take a sample of cord blood at the delivery, and to send this to the Pathological Institute for testing, when the Supervisor of Midwives would again be informed of the result of the test.
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159. From November, 1950 to March, 1951, £e. during a period of five months, a total of 8,483 Kabo tests were done on samples provided by private midwives, and of these 959 were found to be either doubtful or positive, and were referred to the social hygiene clinics for treatment. Figures provided from ante-natal clinics, infant welfare and the maternity services showed that approximately 7% of the ante-natal venous blood tests were positive and 1.5% of the cord blood tests. Of those referred to the social hygiene clinica for treatment only some 40% attended, in spite of home visits and efforts at persuasion, and of the 40% who attend- ed only 56% completed the treatment adequately.
160. It is hoped that ultimately all pregnant women will be given the opportunity, and will take it, of having Kahn tests done on them and that all those who are positive will submit to a full course of treatment, but the scheme is a new one and the rather poor results achieved so far must be expected in view of the amount of education needed on this subject before the value of this service is appreciated by the women concerned.
161. A further move in the plan to obtain information on the extent of venereal disease in the Colony was an examination of all admissions to the male and female prisons in the latter part of the year.
162. The results from 1,471 prisoners examined at the male prison at Stanley were as follows:
Syphilis Gonorrhoea
་ འ ་ ་* ་
Syphilis and Gonorrhoea Observation
Others
17.21%
1.18%
1.15%
5.74%
74.72%
163. At Lai Chi Kok female prison out of 424 admissions who had Kahn tests taken, 78 proved positive, de. 18.5%.
164. It is to be hoped that these figures do not represent a true cross- sections of the infection rate throughout the Colony as a whole!
V. MATERNITY AND CHILD WELFARE.
(a) Centres.
165. There are three main maternity and child welfare centres; one at Tsim Sha Tsui, in Kowloon, and two on the island, one at the Harcourt Health Centre and the other at the Western Health Centre. In addition, there are four subsidiary infant welfare centres; three on the island. situated at Stanley, Shaukiwan and Aberdeen, and one at Shamshuipo on the mainland. At both the main and subsidiary centres the principal emphasis of the work is on educating the mothers. Tables 23 and 24 show the attendances at the main and subsidiary centres.
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