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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1977
+ON THE OTHER HAND, IT MAY BE JUSTIFIABLE TO UNDERTAKE A CERTA IN AMOUNT OF SOPHISTICATION IN THE SERVICE IN SELECTED AREAS ESPECIALLY IN THOSE THAT SUPPORT THE PRIMARY HEALTH CARE SERVICES.+
DR. THONG NOTED THAT SUCH DEVELOPMENTS WILL, OF COURSE, HAVE TO BE CAREFULLY PLANNED BEARING IN MIND THE BENEFITS THAT ARE TO BE GAINED AND WHICH SHOULD PREFERRABLY BE FOR THE MANY RATHER THAN FOR THE FEW.
+ONLY IN THIS WAY CAN WE AVOID SOME OF THE PITFALLS OF OVER- SOPHISTICATION AND UNBALANCED UTILISATION OF RESOURCES THAT ARE EVEN AT THIS MOMENT OCCURRING IN SOME OF THE MORE ADVANCED COUNTRIES,+ HE ADDED.
DR. THONG POINTED OUT THAT HONG KONG'S APPROACH IN HEALTH CARE DEVELOPMENT HAS THUS FAR PRODUCED WORTHWHILE RESULTS BY INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS.
THE HIGH STANDARD OF HONG KONG'S HEALTH CARE SYSTEM IS BORNE OUT VERY CLEARLY NOT ONLY BY THE PATTERN OF DISEASES BUT BY INDICES OF HEALTH SUCH AS THE INFANT MORTALITY RATE, AT 13.8 PER 1,000 LIVE BIRTHS, AND THE MATERNAL MORTALITY RATE, AT 0.18 PER 1,000 TOTAL BIRTHS, WHICH ARE COMPARABLE TO THE MOST ADVANCED COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD.
DR. THONG SAID HONG KONG HAD ARRIVED AT A STAGE WHERE GENERALLY MAJOR EPIDEMICS OF COMMUNICABLE DISEASES WHICH WERE STILL PRESENT IN MANY PARTS OF THE WORLD WERE UNDER CONTROL OR ERADICATED.
DREADED DISEASES SUCH AS SMALLPOX AND RABIES HAVE BEEN PRACTICALLY NON-EXISTENT SINCE THE EARLY 1950S WHILE CHOLERA, POL 10MYELITIS, DIPHTHERIA AND INDIGENOUS MALARIA AND CHILDHOOD DISEASES SUCH AS TETANUS NEONATORUM AND WHOOPING COUGH ARE PRACTICALLY DISEASES OF THE PAST.
+THIS PICTURE IS ALL THE MORE SIGNIFICANT IF WE WERE TO CONSIDER THAT IN MANY PARTS OF THE WORLD AND EVEN AMONG OUR
IMMEDIATE NEIGHBOURS SOME OF THESE DISEASES STILL OCCUR EITHER IN ENDEMIC OR EPIDEMIC FORMS.
+THE UNFORTUNATE THING IS THAT ONE SELDOM STOPS TO APPRECIATE THE RESULTS OF PREVENTIVE HEALTH CARE SINCE THESE ARE EXPRESSED USUALLY BY THE ABSENCE OF SICKNESS AND CASES, AND ANYTHING THAT IS ABSENT IS NATURALLY FORGOTTEN, HE SAID.
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