147. Admissions during the year were as follows:
Admitted through
Government clinics
Other admissions not
through Govern- ment clinic
Orthopaedic disease, children
[ Pulmonary disease {
Adults ... Children
315
39
66
Priority
126
91
637
Details oot available
The Grantham Hospital
Total
148. This hospital of 540 beds was opened in June 1957 by Sir Alexander Grantham, the Patron of the Hong Kong Anti-Tuberculosis Association. It was built by the Association for the benefit of tuber- culosis patients who were in a position to meet the cost of their treatment but not able to pay the high fees for maintenance and treatment in private hospitals. The eventual size of the hospital was considerably greater than had been intended originally, and it soan became evident that it would be extremely difficult to find a sufficient number of paying palicots to fill all the beds. Government therefore agreed to finance 200 beds from the opening day, this number being increased later to 264 beds distributed as follows:
Surgical cases (under the care of the Government Chest Surgeon) Orthopaedic cases (under the care of the Consulting Orthopaedic
Surgeon to the Government)
28
28
Medical cases (admitted by selection from the Government Chest
Clinics)
208
149. The remaining beds are available for the treatment of private cases, but owing to staffing difficulties a total of only 330 beds was occupied throughout the year,
150. A Government Almoner assesses the ability of the patients to subscribe to the cost of their treatment, and does all social work io connexion with the cases admitted through the Government clinics.
151. Admissions were as follows:
Direct admissions through Government Clinics
78
Transfers from Government Hospitals for surgical treatment
33
Total ...
111
152. This does not include 200 patients who were admitted to the Government sponsored beds from the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals.
28
The Government Tuberculosis Service
153. Before the Second World War. no public service was available for the diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis in Hong Kong and all such work was in the hands of private practitioners. In 1946 plans were first made for the establishment of a public service and a start was made in 1947. From a small beginning this service has rapidly expanded to its present size and it is operated as an integrated unit under the direction of the Senior Tuberculosis Specialist.
154. The facilities available are as follows:
(I) Full Time Clinics
(0) Wan Chai Clinic: This clinic is the headquarters of the Tuberculosis Service and four full time and two part time medical officers are centred here. It was opened in 1954 to take the place of the original clinic at the Harcourt Health Centre which from the point of size and convenience had long outlived its usefulness as a tuberculosis clinic.
(b) Kowloon Chest Clinic. This clinic was designed and built as a chest clinic and was opened in 1951; it is staffed by four full time Medical Officers and one part time Medica) Officer. It was apparent even before it was opened that the clinic was going to be too small to fulfil its purpose satis- factorily but expansion was delayed until its functions could be temporarily taken over by Shek Kip Mei Clinic. There- after it was enlarged and was reopened to the public on 10th March, 1958.
(c) Shek Kip Mei Chest Clinic: This clinic is situated within a polyclinic in the Shek Kip Mei resettlement area. Sponsored by the local Kaifong Association, part of the funds for its construction were made available from the balance of a public subscription after the Shek Kip Mei fire in December 1953 and part by Government. It was opened to the public in December 1957 taking over the work of the Kowloon Chest Clinic during the alterations there. It is rather smaller than the other two chest clinics, and has only three Medical Officers.
Each of these three clinics has a full time X-ray department and holds day and evening sessions.
10