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Tuesday, March 27, 1973
NEW MEDICAL DEVELOPMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE
To Consider Plans To Improve Medical Services
A new Medical Development Advisory Committee has been appointed to consider programmes for improving and expanding the medical and health services of Hong Kong over the next 10 years.
The committee, under the chairmanship of Sir Albert Rodrigues, has been asked to report on its recommendations by July 31. The basis for its deliberations will be a working paper prepared by the Director of Medical and Health Services, Dr. G.H. Choa, who is Vice Chairman
of the committee.
The committee's recommendations will be published in the form of a green paper, providing ample opportunity for discussion by all interested parties before the Government reaches any decision on its content.
Commenting on this announcement today, a Government spokesman
recalled that over the past 10 years the medical services had been considerably expanded and the aims of the previous white paper, covering the period 1963-1972, had been broadly achieved.
An overall target of 4.25 hospital beds per thousand population had been attained and developments already in hand would increase this ratio to 4.5 beds per thousand.
"As a result of this expansion in the past decade, the general health of the community has greatly improved, and continues to improve," said the spokesman. "This is strikingly illustrated in the statistics for infant mortality, life expectancy and the incidence of communicable diseases and
tuberculosis."
The committee's