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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16, 1986
MR THOMAS SAID $1.5 MILLION WAS ALLOCATED IN EACH YEAR FROM 1983-84 TO 1985-86 FOR ANTI-NARCOTICS PUBLICITY.
ON MANPOWER RESOURCES IN THIS FIELD, HE SAID ABOUT 1 000 PERSONS HAD BEEN EMPLOYED IN GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS AND IN SUBVENTED VOLUNTARY AGENCIES IN EACH OF THE PAST THREE YEARS.
IN THE VOLUNTARY SECTOR, MR THOMAS SAID MUCH HELP WAS OBTAINED FROM THE IN-PATIENT PROGRAMME OF THE SOCIETY FOR THE AID AND REHABILITATION OF DRUG ABUSERS, AND THE VOLUNTARY OUT-PATIENT METHADONE PROGRAMME PROVIDED BY THE MEDICAL AND HEALTH DEPARTMENT.
THESE EFFORTS WERE SUPPLEMENTED BY THE COMPULSORY TREATMENT PROGRAMME RUN BY THE CORRECTIONAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT.
IMMEDIATE EMERGENCY DENTAL TREATMENT
*****
WHILE THE WAITING TIME FOR CIVIL SERVANTS SEEKING ROUTINE DENTAL SERVICES VARIES BETWEEN THREE AND 23 MONTHS WITH AN AVERAGE OF 8.8 MONTHS, NO WAITING IS REQUIRED FOR EMERGENCY TREATMENT, THE CHIEF SECRETARY, THE HON SIR DAVID AKERS-JONES, SAID TODAY (WEDNESDAY).
REPLYING TO A QUESTION BY THE HON POON CHI-FAI, SIR DAVID SAID: +BY ROUTINE DENTAL SERVICES, I MEAN NON-EMERGENCY SERVICES, SUCH AS REGULAR DENTAL CHECK-UPS, SCALING, FILLING AND THE FIXING OF DENTURES.+
HE POINTED OUT THAT IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS, 13 ADDITIONAL DENTAL CHAIRS HAD BEEN PROVIDED IN NEW DENTAL CLINICS, 21 NEW DENTAL CHAIRS WOULD BE AVAILABLE THIS YEAR AND ANOTHER 78 DENTAL CHAIRS WOULD BE ADDED IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS.
EVENING DENTAL CLINICS HAD ALSO BEEN INTRODUCED, HE SAID SINCE 1977, 10 DENTAL CHAIRS HAD BEEN PROVIDED, AND ANOTHER TWO DENTAL CHAIRS WOULD BE ADDED THIS YEAR.
+SINCE MARCH 1984 CIVIL SERVANTS ARE REQUESTED TO CONFIRM APPOINTMENTS BY TELEPHONE ONE MONTH BEFORE THEY ARE DUE.
+AS A RESULT ABOUT 1 300 UNCONFIRMED APPOINTMENTS HAVE BEEN REALLOCATED TO OTHER PATIENTS WHO REQUIRED EARLIER ATTENTION,+ SIR DAVID SAID.
HE SAID CIVIL SERVANTS MIGHT NOW OBTAIN INFORMATION ON WAITING TIMES AT DIFFERENT DENTAL CLINICS AND MAKE APPOINTMENTS AT ANY CLINIC WHERE THERE WAS A SHORTER WAITING TIME.
+MOREOVER, FOR THOSE WHO WISH, THERE ARE EVENING CLINICS AT WHICH THE WAITING TIME IS BETWEEN THREE AND NINE MONTHS+, HE NOTED.
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