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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 15, 1986
MR CHAMBERS ALSO SAID THE EXPANSION OF THE COMMUNITY NURSING SERVICE, FROM THE PRESENT 45 CENTRES TO 60 OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS, HAD BEEN PLANNED TO HELP REDUCE PRESSURE ON ACUTE HOSPITAL BEDS.
+ THE SERVICE PROVIDES CARE IN THE HOME FOR PATIENTS WHO ARE DISCHARGED FROM HOSPITAL AFTER TREATMENT BUT ARE STILL RECOVERING FROM AN ACUTE ILLNESS, HE SAID.
*
MR CHAMBERS SAID THAT IN 1984-85, A TOTAL OF 12 059 PATIENTS, OF WHOM 40.5 PER CENT WERE ELDERLY, WERE TREATED BY COMMUNITY NURSES AND MORE THAN 213 000 HOME VISITS WERE MADE.
O NEGATIVE BLOOD SUPPLY PROBLEM EXPLAINED ******
IT WAS NOT PRACTICABLE TO KEEP SUPPLIES OF O NEGATIVE BLOOD IN ALL HOSPITALS AS ONLY ABOUT 0.3 PER CENT OF THE CHINESE POPULATION OF HONG KONG HAD THIS TYPE OF BLOOD AND VERY SMALL QUANTITIES WERE DONATED, THE SECRETARY FOR HEALTH AND WELFARE, THE HON JOHN CHAMBERS, SAID TODAY (WEDNESDAY).
IN REPLY TO A QUESTION BY DR THE HON CONRAD LAM CONCERNING THE TRAGIC DEATH OF A WOMAN IN THE OBSTETRICAL UNIT OF POK 01 HOSPITAL, HE SAID THAT THE CORONER DID NOT FIND THAT THE DEATH WAS DUE TO A LACK OF EMERGENCY BLOOD TRANSFUSION FACILITIES IN THE HOSPITAL.
MR CHAMBERS SAID THAT THE CORONER HAD ADDED THREE RIDERS.
COMMENT ING ON THE FIRST RIDER THAT O NEGATIVE BLOOD SHOULD BE AVAILABLE AT ALL HOURS AT THE HOSPITAL, HE SAID THAT IN A DIRE EMERGENCY O POSITIVE BLOOD, WHICH IS ALWAYS AVAILABLE, CAN BE USED EVEN FOR A PATIENT WHOSE BLOOD IS RHESUS NEGATIVE+.
REGARDING THE OTHER TWO RIDERS-- THAT DOCTORS AUTHORISING TRANSFERS TO ANOTHER HOSPITAL SHOULD ENSURE THAT THE TRANSFER WAS EFFECTED WITHOUT DELAY, AND THAT TRANSFERRED PATIENTS SHOULD BE ACCOMPANIED BY FULL MEDICAL RECORDS IN ADDITION TO THE DOCTOR'S REFERRAL NOTE-- MR CHAMBERS SAID THEY PRESENTED NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFICULTY AND WERE IN ACCORDANCE WITH EXISTING PROCEDURES.
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