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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 14, 1974.
13
CALL FOR MORE POSITIVE APPROACH
TO EMERGENCY SERVICE
******
THE HON. FRANCIS TIEN TODAY CALLED FOR A MORE POSITIVE APPROACH IN THE PROVISION OF MEDICAL SERVICE IN EMERGENCY CASES, PARTICULARLY IN RESPECT OF INDUSTRIAL WORKERS.
+WITH THE HIGH COST THAT WE WILL HAVE TO MEET IN ORDER TO PROVIDE BETTER AND MORE ADEQUATE MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES, IT IS THOUGHT THAT THE INTERESTS OF THE INDUSTRIAL WORKERS DESERVE MORE ATTENTION,+ HE SAID.
SPEAKING DURING THE DEBATE ON THE MEDICAL WHITE PAPER, MR. TIEN NOTED THAT OCCUPATIONAL AND INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS AMOUNTED TO 30,000 A YEAR, AND A SUBSTANTIAL PROPORTION OF THIS MUST HAVE OCCURRED IN INDUSTRIES.
HE DESCRIBED THE EXISTING WORKMEN'S COMPENSATION SCHEME AS +A WEAK REMEDY+ AS NO AMOUNT OF MONEY COULD RECOMPENSE THE PHYSICAL SUFFERINGS OF THE REC IP IENTS.
+ONCE AN ACCIDENT HAPPENS, THE VICTIMS ARE HELPLESS AND THE HOPE OF SURVIVING OR BEING SPARED DISABLEMENT IS PINNED ON THE MEDICAL TREATMENT THAT IS GIVEN IN THE PRECIOUS EARLY MOMENT,+ HE SAID, EMPHASISING THAT HIGH PRIORITY SHOULD BE GIVEN TO THE PROVISION OF AN ADEQUATE AND EFFICIENT ACCIDENT SERVICE SUPPORTEE BY AN ADEQUATE AND WELL-TRAINED AMBULANCE SERVICE. THE COST OF THIS, HE FELT, WOULD NOT REACH ANY SIGNIFICANT PROPORTION IN THE OVERALL PROJECT.
WHILE THE WHITE PAPER RECOGNIZED THE IMPORTANCE OF EXPANDING THE INDUSTRIAL HEALTH SERVICE TO A FULL OCCUPATIONAL. HEALTH SERVICE, HE SAID, IT APPEARED TO BE LESS PRECISE IN REGARD TO THE CLINICAL ASPECT IN ITS MEASURES TO IMPROVE THE CASUALTY AND ACCIDENT SERVICE.
+IT WOULD HAVE GIVEN US SOME REAL CONSOLATION IF THE WHITE PAPER COULD BE MORE POSITIVE IN ITS APPROACH TO EMERGENCY SERVICE
FROM AMBULANCE TO EMERGENCY TREATMENT.+
MR. TIEN FELT THAT THE AMBULANCE SERVICE, NOW UNDER THE FIRE SERVICES DEPARTMENT, COULD BE BROUGHT WITHIN THE PURVIEW OF THE WHITE PAPER TO OBTAIN CO-ORDINATED PROGRESS OF AN ENHANCED MEDICAL SERVICE.
SOME REFERENCE WAS MADE TO THE POSSIBLE RE-ORCANISATION OF THE CASUALTY AND ACCIDENT SERVICE, HE NOTED, BUT THIS IN ITSELF WOULD DEPEND ON THE OUTCOME OF DETAILED INVESTIGATIONS WHICH HAD YET TO BE LAUNCHED UNTIL THE PROPOSED INTEGRATED HOSPITAL STRUCTURE HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED.
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