SATURDAY, JANUARY 12, 1980
MORE PUPILS JOIN HEALTH CARE SCHEME
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THERE HAS BEEN A HEALTHY INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF SCHOOL CHILDREN PARTICIPATING IN THE SCHOOL MEDICAL SERVICE.
FIGURES RELEASED BY THE SCHOOL MEDICAL SERVICE BOARD SHOW ENROLMENT AT DECEMBER 31, 1979 TO BE 168 500 PUPILS COMPARED WITH 124 500 PUPILS AT THE END OF 1978, REPRESENTING A JUMP OF 35 PER CENT.
THE BOARD BELIEVES THAT MORE AND MORE SCHOOL PRINCIPALS AND PARENTS ARE BECOMING AWARE OF THE ADVANTAGES OFFERED BY THIS ECONOMICAL MEDICAL SCHEME, WHICH FOR $5 A YEAR ALLOWS A CHILD TO VISIT THE DOCTOR AS MANY TIMES AS HE WISHES WITH FREE MEDICATION.
ENROLMENT IS VOLUNTARY AS IS PARTICIPATION BY THE 200 OR SO PRIVATE MEDICAL PRACTITIONERS SUPPORTING THE SCHEME, AND A CHILD IN PRIMARY SCHOOL UP TO FORM 111 MAY JOIN ANY DAY OF THE YEAR FOR TWELVE MONTHS FROM THE DATE OF JOINING.
IN THE LAST FINANCIAL YEAR THE GOVERNMENT SUBSIDIZED THE SCHEME IN THE AMOUNT $4 MILLION, AND THIS YEAR THE SUBSIDY SHOULD REACH NEARLY $5 MILLION.
VETERAN SOCIAL WELFARE WORKER RETIRES
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A VETERAN OFFICER OF THE SOCIAL WELFARE DEPARTMENT, WHO BEGAN HIS CAREER IN SOCIAL WELFARE WITH THE GOVERNMENT EVEN BEFORE THE DEPARTMENT CAME INTO BEING, IS RETIRING AFTER 24 YEARS' SERVICE.
MR. LU YU-HUA JOINED IN 1956 THE THEN SOCIAL WELFARE OFFICE OF THE SECRETARIAT FOR CHINESE AFFAIRS AS AN ASSISTANT RELIEVING OFFICER. THE OFFICE BECAME THE SOCIAL WELFARE DEPARTMENT IN 1958.
MR. LU, LAST APPOINTED AS REGIONAL SOCIAL WELFARE OFFICER IN CHARGE OF WEST KOWLOON, HAS CONTRIBUTED TO THE DRAMATIC DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIAL WELFARE SERVICES IN HONG KONG.
HE IS PARTICULARLY HIGHLY REGARDED FOR HIS CONTRIBUTIONS IN THE FIELD OF SOCIAL SECURITY AND RELIEF WORK. HE SERVED FOR YEARS IN THE DEPARTMENT'S SOCIAL SECURITY DIVISION AND WAS LATER APPOINTED HEAD OF THE DIVISION,
IN 1959, THE POST OF ASSISTANT RELIEVING OFFICER WAS RETITLED SOCIAL WELFARE OFFICER CLASS 11, AND AGAIN IN 1964 AS ASSISTANT SOCIAL WELFARE OFFICER.
MR. LU WAS PROMOTED TO SOCIAL WELFARE OFFICER IN 1965, PRINCIPAL SOCIAL WELFARE OFFICER IN 1971, AND TO SENIOR PRINCIPAL SOCIAL WELFARE OFFICER FIVE YEARS LATER.
/TWO YEARS