6.
Thursday, May 25, 1972
ADVANCES IN MEDICAL CARE OVER LAST FEW DECADES
Mortality Rate In Hong Kong Declining
The Governor, Sir Murray MacLehose, said today the declining
mortality rate in Hong Kong underlined the extraordinary advances made in
medical care over the last few decades.
He was speaking at the Golden Jubilee ceremony of the Tsan Yuk
Hospital. In the ceremony, he unveiled a plaque to commemorate what he
described as an "important milestone" in the history of the hospital.
Sir Murray said: "We now have over 16,000 hospital beds compared
with less than 2,000 in the 1930's."
He said the annual death rate per 1,000 had reduced from 21 to five
over 50 years. The infant mortality rate has reduced from 350 per 1,000
in the 1940's to 18 per 1,000 in the 1970's. The maternal and peri-natal
mortality rates have dropped considerably to their present levels of 1.4
per 10,000 and 16.6 per 1,000.
"These figures portray a remarkable development in our medical
services and in the health of our community. But they also underline the
valuable contribution made by the Tsan Yuk Hospital, which has trained a
great majority of our doctors and midwives engaged in obstetric care," he said.
The following is the full text of the Governor's speech at the Golden
Jubilee ceremony of the Tsan Yuk Hospital:
/"Listening