CO129-618-4 University of Hong Kong- conversion of Tung Wah Eastern Hospital into a teaching hospital 17-2-1949 - 27-9-1949 — Page 34

No.32.

Sec. 2220/45(IT).

CONFIDENTIAL.

GOVERNMENT HOUSE,

HONG KONG,

47

Sir,

53556/49

17th February, 1949.

confidential I have the honour to refer to paragraph 13 of

(2) on 54147/49, my/despatch No.30 of the 15th February, 1949, in which I

Annexure 1.

stated that the University proposed to ask this Government. to make an application to you for a grant of £54,700 from the Colonial Development and Welfare Fund in order to convert the Tung Wah Eastern Hospital, a charity institution in Hong Kong, into an effective teaching hospital.

2.

The hospital itself is possibly the best planned place of its kind in the Colony, and with modification and extension should give the University a large out-patient department and a modern hospital of some 320 beds. It lies in close proximity to a densely peopled industrial area and should never suffer any lack of patients. The nature of the changes that the University thinks essential are shown on the second page of a letter addressed to the Chairman of the Hospital Advisory Committee on the 18th November, 1948, which is Annexure 1. On page 3 the work to be undertaken, with the architect's estimate of the cost, is set down under five heads, and totals nearly $1,300,000 (£81,250). They

are :

(1) Additional storey in Main

Hospital..

(2) Other alterations in Main

Hospital..

$630,000.00

29,800.00

(3) Quarters for 29 Male

Servants..

35,000.00

(4) Quarters for 66 Female

Servants..

90,000.00

(5) New Nurses Quarters..

445,000.00

$1,229,800.00

3.

This Government accepts the view that the provision of new Nurses' Quarters can hardly be regarded as a work for which assistance can be sought from the Colonial Development and Welfare Fund for the conversion of a good general hospital into a teaching hospital. Adequate nurses' quarters must be regarded as a part of a good general hospital. If the other charges could be met from a grant from the Colonial Development and Welfare Fund, this Government would find the money to meet the cost of the block of nurses' quarters which is estimated at about $445,000 (27,800). The works for which a grant is asked

THE RIGHT HONOURABLE

ARTHUR CREECH-JONES, M.P.,