XN000022-1973-03-29 — Page 7

ON

Thursday, March 29, 1973

RETARDED CHILDREN THRIVING IN COUNTRY ATMOSPHERE

At Siu Lam Hospital

There are at present 150 children at the Siu Lam Hospital, in Tai Lam, and all are thriving as a result of their transfer from urban centres

to a country hospital.

Siu Lam was formally opened last year by Sir Kenneth Ping-fan Fung

as a hospital for severely mentally retarded children. The patients came

from special wards in the Tung Wah Hospital, the Po Leung Kuk, and Social

Welfare Department institutions where they were placed pending completion

of Siu Lam,

After the hospital's opening, the children were accepted in groups

of 50 at a time to enable the staff to adjust to the special rountines required

for this type of patient.

The rainstorm of last June seriously damaged the approach road,

and so delayed for some months completion of the transfer, but the hospital

is now fully operational, and the maximum capacity of 200 will soon be reached.

Siu Lam was built with a large donation from the Royal Hong Kong

Jockey Club, and was set up on the recommendation of Dr. L.T. Hilliard, who had earlier recommended that mentally-retarded children in Hong Kong be sub-divided

into three groups.

Children

Children capable of being educated should be the responsibility of

the Education Department, who would organise special classes for them. in the medium grade of retardation should be trained by the Social Welfare

Department.

The severely