part in zonal exercises in conjunction with the Civil Aid Services, and a Colony-wide exercise employing all auxiliary units was held during the month of December.
145. During the year it was found possible to increase the number of beds that would be provided in an emergency. Exhaust fans and emergency generators were installed in all tunnels and institutions as required.
146. Lt-Colonel C. G. Butcher, Secretary of the Cabinet Civil Defence Planning Committee in the United Kingdom, visited the Auxiliary Medical Service and the system of training was explained to him by the Unit Controller.
Medical Examination Board.
147. During the year the Medical Examination Board continued its work of examining candidates for Government employment, Government officers for promotion and transfer. and members and recruits for Auxiliary Defence Units.
148. The total number of persons examined during 1955 was 12,297. This represents an increase of 2,669 over the 1954 figure. Detailed figures of the examinations carried out are shown in the following table:
www
TABLE I
A. New Cases examined in 1955:
1.
Government candidates
5,963
2. Auxiliary Defence Unite
3. Miscellaneous
4,086
156
B.
Re-examinations in 1955:
1. Government candidates
2. Auxiliary Defence Units
1,431
1,258
3.
Miscellaneous
Grand total
12,207
149. Clerical difficulties have so far prevented an exact analysis of causes of rejection, though the percentage of candidates rejected for certain posts, e.g. Police Constable, is considerably higher than for certain others, eg. Clerk, The main overall cause of rejection however is pulmonary tuber- culosis, and since December, 1955, an exact record of the number of candidates referred to the Tuberculosis Specialist, and found by him to be suffering from pulmonary tuberculosis, has been kept. In the period January-March, 1956 (which is the only period for which these statistics are available), 3,852 persons came before the Board, 312 were referred to the Tuberculosis Specialist, 223 were found by him to be unfit because of pulmonary tuberculosis, 7 had other pulmonary disease necessitating rejection, while in the case of 30 others, either their results are not yet to hand, or they have failed to attend the Chest Clinic. Over 80% of all cases referred to the Chest Clinic were found to be unfit, while 6.6% of all cases coming before the Board were rejected because of pulmonary tuber- culosis.
V. TRAINING PROGRAMME
Liaison with the University.
150. The Medical Department continues to co-operate closely with Hong Kong University in the training of medical students. As already stated the Queen Mary Hospital, the Tsan Yuk Hospital and the Sai Ying Pun out-patient department constitute the main centres for clinical study and experience for medical students attending the University. Many members of the staff of the Government Medical Department act as part-time lecturers to the medical students and during the year the Director of Medical and Health Services continued in his appointment as part-time Professor of Social Medicine. After qualification, graduates of the Medical School are required to do one year's post-graduate work under supervision as a pre- requisite to registration and many posts of House Officer are made available in various Government Hospitals approved by the University for this purpose. Problems arising in the teaching hospitals are dealt with by a Co-ordinating Committee
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