Allendancer
Main Clinica
New Cases
Branch Clinica
Revisite
Main Clinics 1Branch Clinics
Total
+ י - - -
1954
1955
35,738
37.789
1,273
2,272
181,794
6,675
304,231 16,195
225,480
364.487
37. A surgical chest clinic is now operated once a week for patients advised to have surgical treatment for their pul- monary condition and an orthopaedic tuberculosis clinic was also commenced during the year for the benefit of patients found to have bone and joint complications of pulmonary tuberculosis.
Treatment.
38. (a) Ambulatory, In view of the very limited number of hospital beds available for tuberculosis cases in the Colony, ambulatory chemotherapy must be adopted as the principal method of out-patient treatment. The average duration of this type of treatment is about 9 months, and it has shown good results on selected cases.
Category
Completed aresimest money
Still under treatment
Failed to complete treatmen
Adaltied to hospital after preliminary
Treatment................
M
1953
1954
1955
1,021
2,018
3,386
495
1.226
2,834
266+
300*
#50
266
Includes those admitted to Hospital before completion of treatment.
39, (b) Hospital Treatment. The Medical Department maintains 318 beda for tuberculosis cases. These beds are all in several multi-purpose general hospitals, as there is no separate Government Tuberculosis Hospital. There is a very long waiting list for admission. During 1955, 507 patients
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were admitted, the "bed turnover" figure being 1.6. Treatment by major surgical procedures increased substantially: 116 thoracoplasty operations were undertaken compared to 79 in the previous year.
Prevention.
40. In addition to therapeutic work, preventive measures against tuberculosis are carried out on a considerable scale. These measures are:
(1) B. C. G. vaccination.
(2) X-Ray surveys.
(3) Contact examinations.
(4) Health Education and social assistance.
B.C.G. Vaccination.
41. The emphasis now is on the vaccination of new born infants within a few days of birth for whom no preliminary testing is needed. A special strength vaccine is inserted by multi-puncture. A total of 25,362 vaccinations were done in the year of which 9,587 were for infants. This is a little over 10% of all babies born in the Colony but it is hoped that this figure will rise with increased appreciation by the public of the value of this measure.
X-Ray Surveys.
42. Surveys cannot yet be done for the general population because facilities to deal with the already known cases of tuber- culosis are strained to the limit. Surveys are done for the following selected groups:
(1) Government employees (on recruitment and
annually};
(2) Private firms and institutions;
(3) Prisoners in H.M. Prisons;
(4) School teachers.
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