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HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.
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And, lastly, the Unofficial Members desire me to express our sympathy with Your Excellency in having so soon after your arrival here, to deal with an unbalanced Budget, and also in being the chief sufferer from those cuts in Civil Servants' salaries which you have, so promptly, brought into force. (Applause).
THE DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL AND SANITARY SERVICES.- 1. When making comparisons between the present medical staff and that of say 1930 or 1929 it is only fair that certain facts should be borne in mind:-
(a) That the Medical Department when I arrived in 1929 was admittedly inadequate for the work it had to perform, and the first task set me was that of reorganisation of the Medical and Sanitary Services.
(b) That a twenty per cent. leave reserve must be allowed if
officers are to get their proper quota of leave.
(c) That in a small service, although for clearness of administra- tion the staff is divided into branches, it is not economical to provide a 20 per cent. leave reserve for each branch but that the largest section should carry a sufficient reserve to allow of such replacements as the Malariologist, the Bacteriologist, the Radiologist, and so on.
(d) That in 1929 there was no adequate leave reserve.
2. The fact that the individual officers were appointed since 1930 does not seem to be relevant. The date of appointment does not necessarily imply the creation of a new post but ordinarily implies only that an existing vacancy was filled on that date.
The 1929 staff list shows that there were then eight Medical Officers all but one of whom belonged to what is now the Hospital Division, and that one exception helped in hospital work when occasion demanded. The number quoted by the Hon. Member is 10, an increase of only two.
3.-The work of the hospital division includes duties in connection
with:-
(a) Government Civil Hospital-both inpatients and outpatients.
(b) Government Mental Hospital.
(c) Victoria Hospital-inpatients and outpatients.
(d) Kowloon Hospital-inpatients and outpatients.
(e) Infectious Diseases Hospital,