M 53
(H) Lai Chi Kok (Relief) Hospital.
211. Lai Chi Kok Hospital was opened in May, 1938, to afford some relief for the overcrowded conditions of the Tung Wah group of hospitals. The intention was to transfer from the other hospitals convalescents and others who could be returned to civil life after a relatively short course of treatment.
212. The hospital has certainly proved its value and many hundreds have already passed through its portals and have been able to go home and start life afresh.
213. The medical officer in charge of the hospital (Dr. T. J. Hua) reports as follows:-
"Based on the principles concerning admission and discharge, out of the 1841 cases treated, 1238 curable invalids were returned to civil life after an average stay in the hospital of sixty-one days. Guided by the hospital motto—patients first, hospital second and self last, efforts have been made to avoid retransfer of patients back to the Chinese hospitals unless a diagnosis has been well established and the case has proved to be unsuitable, or when there is definite indication to the benefit of the patient. Not uncommonly, moribund patients suffering from pneumonia, typhoid or chronic cardiac disease were received and treated so as to avoid unnecessary disturbance to the patients. By so doing, the general mortality rate of the hospital was inevitably raised.
Towards the later part of the year a room of the medical officers' office was used as an operating theatre. Minor operations in the nature of correction of deformity, skin grafts for extensive ulcerations or restoration of locomotive function had also been contemplated.
An improved canvas shade for the solarium of the tuberculous children's ward was completed towards the end of this year. Although it is still early to produce results in the treatment of these surgical tuberculous children, the improvement made during this period was gratifying. Owing to the repairs to the mosquito-proof screening on the doors and windows, malaria ceased to be a menace to the patients and staff of the hospital, although sporadic cases, chiefly of the sub-tertian type, occurred before the work was completed.
Clinical investigations on the result of the treatment of beri-beri cases have also been made.
The recipe of the bean extract and rice polishing has been proved to be most economical and sufficiently effective towards the treatment of all types of cases, except the pernicious, wet cardiac type which is fortunately rarely seen in this hospital. All cases discharged from the hospital were advised about their dietary and a follow-up clinic was organized at the close of the year.
214. Beri-beri constituted by far the most important proportion of diseased conditions treated in the hospital and the results of an interesting investigation carried out by the medical officer to the hospital are included in Appendix VI to this report. One ward at this hospital was devoted to the care of tuberculous children who until then had been accommodated in a somewhat dark and dismal portion of one of the Chinese hospitals.
215. The upper blocks of Lai Chi Kok Hospital—sometimes called the Lai Chi Kok (Cholera) Hospital proved to be invaluable in accommodating 234 cases of cholera during the height of the epidemic in 1939. They also served as a hospital for interned Chinese troops who had to be specially guarded (in accordance with international agreement).
(I) Leper Settlement.
216. The Leper Settlement at Kennedy Town is housed in buildings erected at the beginning of the present century by the Tung Wah Hospital Committee for cases of smallpox under herbal or Chinese Medicine treatment.
5'9
M 53
(H) Lai Chi Kok (Relief) Hospital.
211. Lai Chi Kok Hospital was opened in May, 1938, to afford some relief for the overcrowded conditions of the Tung Wah group of hospitals. The intention was to transfer from the other hospitals convalescents and others who could be returned to civil life after a relatively short course of treatment.
212. The hospital has certainly proved its value and many hundreds have already passed through its portals and have been able to go home and start life
afresh.
213. The medical officer in charge of the hospital (Dr. T. J. Hua) reports as follows:-
"Based on the principles concerning admission and discharge, out of the 1841 cases treated, 1238 curable invalids were returned to civil life after an average stay in the hospital of sixty-one days. Guided by the hospital motto-patients first, hospital second and self last, efforts have been made to avoid retransfer of patients back to the Chinese hospitals unless a diagnosis has been well established and the case has proved to be unsuitable, or when there is definite indication to the benefit of the patient. Not uncommonly, moribund patients suffering from pneumonia, typhoid or chronic cardiac disease were received and treated SO as to avoid unnecessary disturbance to the patients. By so doing, the general mortality rate of the hospital was inevitably raised.
Towards the later part of the year a room of the medical officers' office was used as an operating theatre. Minor operations in the nature of correction of deformity, skin grafts for extensive ulcerations or restoration of locomotive func- tion had also been comtemplated.
An improved canvas shade for the solarium of the tuberculous children's ward was completed towards the end of this year. Although it is still early to produce results in the treatment of these surgical tuberculous children, the improve- ment made during this period was gratifying. Owing to the repairs to the mos- quito-proof screening on the doors and windows, malaria ceased to be a menace to the patients and staff of the hospital, although sporadic cases, chiefly of the sub- tertain type, occurred before the work was completed.
Clinical investigations on the result of the treatment of beri-beri cases have also been made.
The recipe of the bean extract and rice polishing has been proved to be most economical and sufficiently effective towards the treatment of all types of cases, except the pernicious, wet cardiac type which is fortunately rarely seen in this hospital. All cases discharged from the hospital were advised about their dietary and a follow-up clinic was organized at the close of the year.
214. Beri beri constituted by far the most important proportion of diseased conditions treated in the hospital and the results of an interesting investigation carried out by the medical officer to the hospital are included in Appendix VI to this report. One ward at this hospital was devoted to the care of tuberculous children who until then had been accommodated in a somewhat dark and dismal portion of one of the Chinese hospitals.
215. The upper blocks of Lai Chi Kok Hospital-sometimes called the Lai Chi Kok (Cholera) Hospital proved to be invaluable in accommodating 234 cases of cholera during the height of the epidemic in 1939. They also served as a hospital for interned Chinese troops who had to be specially guarded (in accordance with international agreement).
(I) Leper Settlement.
216. The Leper Settlement at Kennedy Town is housed in buildings erected at the beginning of the present century by the Tung Wah Hospital Committee for cases of smallpox under herbal or Chinese Medicine" treatment.
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