There were 185,718 new cases. Out-patient attention is also available at the 10 public dispensaries in this city and at 12 rural health centres scattered over the New Territories. In addition other smaller clinics are held in premises of certain other Government departments. A special clinic is held for English speaking Government servants in the new Secretariat building where the Families Visiting Doctor sees English- speaking patients by appointment. Similar facilities are afforded at Kowloon Hospital. A small clinic for the benefit of the staff of the Marine Department is served by the Port Health Officers; a clinic is held in the Kowloon Terminus Station for the benefit of railway employees; and 2 clinics, one in Ilong Kong and another in Kowloon, are operated for members of the Police Force and their dependants. Still another is being developed at Kai Tak Air Terminus for the benefit of air crews and airport personnel. A very busy clinic functions at the Portland Street Society for the Protection of Children Centre, and during the year temporary clinics were operating in association with the work of the Social Welfare Department for fire victims and at certain relief camps. These smaller clinics serve to disperse the overwhelming load on the main centres to some extent but the present pressure of work cannot be sustained indefinitely. Although the health of the Medical staff has shown no particularly marked deterioration as yet, the matter is causing grave concern.
Details of the attendances
at various centres will be found in Appendices 6, 7, 8 and 9.
Medical Attention in Remote AreaS.
85. The Medical Department operates two small vehicles equipped as travelling dispensaries to augment the out-patient work of the rural health centres in the more remote villages and areas of the New Territories which are accessible to road transport. Unfortunately there are still some settlements in the New Territories which are not easily accessible to road transport and at Sai Kung, one of the more remote villages, a new health centre is being built. Considerable help is given in Tural areas and in the outlying islands by the St. John
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Ambulance Brigade which sends small parties called "Penetra- tion Squads" periodically to visit such places. These squads give medical, dental, and nursing care and minor surgical treatment and also play a considerable part in the work of protecting the population in these areas by prophylactic injections and hygienic advice.
Other Associated Medical Institutions.
86, The 7 voluntary institutions most closely associated with the Government service and in receipt of Government subsidies are the Ruttonjee Sanatorium, the Tung Wah Group of three hospitals, the Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital, the Hay Ling Chau Leprosarium and the Pok Oi Hospital. The Ruttonjee Sanatorium is operated by the Anti-Tuberculosis Association of Hong Kong and provides 230 beds, including 38 cots for children, for the treatment of tuberculosis. Admission to this hospital is generally made through the Government chest clinics and close liaison is maintained between this Association and Government's Anti-Tuberculosis Service. Plans are at present in hand for the Association to build a tuberculosis convalescent home and another sanatorium. The Tung Wah Hospitals are operated by a long established Board of prominent and civic minded Chinese gentlemen who not only administer 3 large and very busy general hospitals, which are also training schools for nurses and midwives, but also schools and other charities. They accommodate a percentage of the long term chronic sick and thus allow the Government hospitals to deal with the more acute cases. The Medical Superintendents of the 3 Tung Wah Hospitals are Government Medical Officers specially seconded for the purpose but the rest of the staff is engaged and paid by the Board of Directors. Several prominent specialists in private practice give their services as honorary consultants. A small convalescent hospital for tuberculosis patients is maintained by the Tung Wah Board of Directors at Sandy Bay in temporary wooden structures. Mention has already been made of the work of the Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital and the Leprosarium. The Pok Oi Iospital is a small rural hospital of 36 beds situated at Un Long built
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