containing 18 lbs. of dried milk powder in addition to other contents, became available for issue. As a result of these savings the total quantity of milk powder issued during the year was 21,260 lb, as compared to 34,013 lb. in 1955.
121. Assistance in cash in the form of weekly grants may be paid to patients who have been obliged to give up work in order to undergo treatment. This treatment allowance is used mainly in connexion with patients in hospital, but is available. also to patients on ambulatory treatment. The amount paid is fixed by the almoner in accordance with a scale of agreed maxima and bears relation to the previous earnings of the patient and his responsibilities. During the year assistance was provided in this way to 184 families at a total cost of HK$68,400. The calls on the fund by Government servants during the year fell sharply as a result of the amendment of sick leave provisions.
122. Rehabilitation grants may be made in order to enable patients, at the successful termination of their treatment, to take up suitable work. These grants are normally made to provide hawkers' licences and a small capital sum to start off the business. It appears that there has been a falling off in the potentialities of such business, with a consequent reduction in demand by patients. The total sum spent in this way was HK$910.
123. Miscellaneous calls were made on the fund for such purposes as repatriation and travelling expenses of patients travelling to Hong Kong from the St. John Hospital, Cheung Chau, for X-ray.
124. Contact between the patient in his home and the clinic is maintained through the Tuberculosis Visitors. The Tuber- culosis Visitors differ from their counterparts elsewhere in that emphasis during training is made upon the lay approach to the patients and previous training as a nurse is regarded as a dis- advantage, instead of, as elsewhere, being a basic qualification. A further difference is that they are responsible, not to the medical staff, but to the Almoner through a Senior Tuberculosis Visitor in each clinic. This arrangement was introduced in the first instance as an experimental measure, but has proved to be
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an unqualified auccess, and is at present attracting attention from other authorities in the area who have similar problems.
125. Home visiting is normally conducted in the afternoons, so that the Tuberculosis Visitors are available for other duties in the first half of the day, mainly in connexion with reception of patients. The calls upon their time have been steadily increasing with the introduction of additional clinical sessions in outlying areas, in evening clinics and in specíal clinics. As a result the time available for home visiting has been curtailed, and muat remain so until it is possible to distribute the load to additional staff, who will become available when new clinics are opened.
126. The work done in connexion with bome visits is as follows:-
Firat visits to patients Revisits
Total visita
Contact cards issuer
Contacts examined
Table 13
2855.
1958.
12,149
9660
6,00%
6.021
19,001
16,621
16,518
13,836
12,964
10,857
127. The details of the clinical findings in contacts are set forth elsewhere in this report.
128. The Almoner is designated as the officer responsible for the contact between private firms wishing to have X-ray surveys of employees, the X-ray Department who do the X-ray in connexion with the surveys and the Chest Clinics who do the clinical assessments and issue the survey reports. This work on the part of the Almoner is purely administrative. The results of surveys are set forth in the appropriate section.
B.C.G. Vaccination,
129. B.C.G. vaccination was started in 1962 under the sponsorship of U.N.I.C.E.F. and W.H.O. and an intensive campaign was started and continued until 1955, when the campaign as zuch was discontinued, and the personnel dispersed and absorbed into other sub-departments, particularly those of Maternal and Child Health and School Health, in which a regular programme of vaccination is continued.
130. The function of the Central B.C.G, office is now mainly that of a supply and coordinating organization, though two
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