282. Three Health Inspectors carried out 1.569 sanitary inspections of school premises during the year; these included 320 premises for which applications to open new day or night schools were made.
283. Health education of the child is an important aspect of school health work. The key worker in this field is the Health Visitor, who is specially trained to teach and advise on health matters. The aims for the school child is the promotion of good health habits on both a personal and community basis. Simple talks to arouse interest in hygiene were given throughout the year, in school clinic waiting rooms, by Health Visitors and School Health Nurses. School doctors undertake systematic lectures and demonstrations in Health Education to teachers in the Grantham Training College, while a Health Sister is seconded full time for similar work in the Northcote Training College.
INDUSTRIAL HEALTH
284. The health of workers in factories and other industrial under- takings is the statutory responsibility of the Commissioner of Labour, whose Industrial Health Section is staffed by the Medical Department and consists of an Industrial Health Officer, an Assistant Industrial Health Officer, two Health Visitors and a Technical Assistant. The work of the section falls into three main divisions; the prevention of occupational diseases, the improvement of medical and first-aid facilities in factories, and the follow-up of industrial accident cases.
285. The most scrious diseases met with in industry are silicosis and lead poisoning and measures for the control of silicosis are under active consideration by a working party. Cases of lead poisoning are fortunately few, Dermatitis occurs in a large number of local industries. Strict precautions are taken to avoid the possibility of injury from radiation in trades where X-rays or radioactive substances are used and, so far, no signs of ill-health due to this cause have been detected.
286. First-aid classes, especially for factory workers, are organized from time to time and advice is given on first aid and medical equipment in factories. The victims of industrial accidents are followed up and every effort is made to ensure that they receive the treatment necessary, together with rehabilitation where necessary and possible.
HEALTH EDUCATION
287. This continued to take an important place in the work of all divisions of the Medical and Health Department.
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288. The Maternal and Child Health Centres have continued to expand active Health Education programmes with the help of the 27 Health Visitors on the staff. The School Health Service. the Tuberculo- sis Service and the Social Hygiene Service also carry out considerable health teaching in their own fields of work.
289. The anti-epidemic immunization campaigns against smallpox. typhoid fever and diphtheria, which were carried out at appropriate seasons during the year, showed that good results followed propaganda from loud-speaker motor vans to which mobile vaccinating teams were attached. The distribution of handbills by Health Inspectors of the Urban Services Department during their routine house inspections was also a part of the campaign,
290. The series of talks on general health topics by a radio doctor which began in October 1957 continued throughout the year. These were broadcast over the Chinese networks of Radio Hong Kong at known favoured listening times and continue to prove useful and acceptable.
IV. THE WORK OF THE MEDICAL DIVISION
HOSPITALS
291. The outstanding event of the year was the laying of the foundation stone of the new Kowloon Hospital on 7th March 1959, by His Royal Highness the Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. By gracious. consent of Her Majesty the Queen this hospital has been named the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. It will accommodate 1,320 beds in 52 wards and will provide the full range of specialist services.
292. By the end of March 1959 piling had been completed for the Nurses' Home and Training School and structural work had started. It is anticipated that the Nurses Home and Training School will be completed by July 1960 and that the Hospital will be ready for occupation during the latter half of 1962,
293. The Hong Kong Jockey Club has undertaken to finance a Radiological Institute which will be an integral part of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and which will contain the most modern equipment for radio-therapy, including two linear accelerators.
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