CONFIDENTIAL,
to ttk.
م الله
W/(B)
TOUR NOTES BY DR. E, D. PRIDIE ON HIS VISIT TO HONG KONG.
6
1.
2.
3.
40
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
I was much impressed by the medical and health services of Hong Kong and consider that they are among the best in the British Colonial Empire. The high morale and excellent personal relationships among staff reflects great credit on all concerned.
The Queen Mary Hospital is one of the finest hospitals I have ever visited and is magnificently sited The fact that it is a teaching hospital ensures the highest possible standards and it is adequately staffed with doctors and nursing sisters. It is very well-planned and is efficiently run.
The Ruttom Jee Tuberculosis Sanatorium, with its fine new clinic, is a magnificent voluntary effort and must have given a most useful stimulus to anti-tuberculous work in Hong Kong after the war. Excellent work under less pleasant surroundings is being done at the Marcourt Road Clinic and the new Tuberculosis dispensary in Kowloom is first class. The new X-ray lorries presented by UNI.CE F. should be a useful addition to the anti-tuberculosis organization. Tuberculosis is being more thoroughly dealt with in Hong Kong than in most Colonial Territories.
Venereal Diseases are being tackled in a thorough and systematic manner and I was impressed by the amount of work being done in the venereal diseases centres.
The organization of the Child Welfare Centres and
training of staff is excellent.
-
The Lai Chi Kok hospital with 200 beds for tuberculosis, 200 beds for clinical cases from other hospitals and 80 beds for infectious diseases serves a most useful purpose.
Kowloon Hospital: The amount of work done in the out-patients department of this hospital, as well as in other out-patient departments particularly the Polyclinics in the city, is almost bewildering and it is impressive to see the long queues of out-patients, each paying a dollar if he can afford it, waiting for attention. The out-patient department of Kowloom hospital has 400,000 attendances a year. Kowloom hospital has 200 beds at present, but an extension of 70 beds is nearly completed. It has a fine maternity block. The usual specialist facilities are provided in this hospital.
efficient,
Fort Health Work: This is well organized and
The
The Tung Wah Charitable Hospital: This long- established charitable institution does very fine work. hospital admits every kind of patient without discrimination and has a great name throughout the territory.
It was a pleasure to have an opportunity of visiting it and meeting the Chinese Authorities responsible. It was overcrowded as might be expected, but had a happy cheerful atmosphere.
Housing: The sudden influx since the war, which has trebled the population of Hong Kong, has created an appalling housing problem both by gross over-crowding of existing houses and by squatters in shanty towns on the hill sides. It is to the great credit of the health authorities that they have managed to maintain public health under such very adverse conditions, but