XN000022-1980-07-31 — Page 4

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THURSDAY, JULY 31, 1980

REGARDING THE FUTURE, MR WATERS SAID THAT IN THE EARLY 1980S ADDITIONAL FLOORS AND ANNEXES WILL BE ADDED TO THE EXISTING TECHNICAL INSTITUTES, WHILE A SIXTH INSTITUTE IS PLANNED TO BE ESTABLISHED BY 1984.

AND OF THE KWUN TONG VOCATIONAL TRAINING CENTRE, HE SAID HE WAS CONVINCED IT HAS AN IMPORTANT ROLE TO PLAY IN THE OVERALL EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM.

SIR ALBERT OPENS CENTRAL METHADONE SCHEME LABORATORY

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SIR ALBERT RODRIGUES CHAIRMAN OF THE ACTION COMMITTEE AGAINST NARCOTICS, TODAY (THURSDAY) OPENED THE HO MAN TIN METHADONE SCHEME LABORATORY, WHICH WILL BOOST THE GOVERNMENT'S URINE TESTING FACILITIES FOR METHADONE PATIENTS.

THE LABORATORY, RUN BY THE GOVERNMENT LABORATORY, CAN HANDLE 500 URINE SAMPLES A DAY, COMPARED WITH THE EXISTING CAPACITY OF 70 SAMPLES HANDLED BY THE EASTERN STREET LABORATORY IN WESTERN DISTRICT, HONG KONG ISLAND.

A SPOKESMAN FOR THE NARCOTICS DIVISION, GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT, SAID THAT WITH MORE THAN 7 000 PATIENTS ATTENDING HONG KONG'S 20 METHADONE CLINICS DAILY, THE TESTING FACILITIES AT THE EASTERN STREET LABORATORY WERE TOTALLY INADEQUATE.+

*WITH THE PRESENT VOLUME OF ATTENDANCE, THE MINIMUM REQUIREMENT FOR URINALYSIS IS ABOUT 250 SPECIMENS A DAY, THE SPOKESMAN SAID.

HE ADDED THAT THE NEW FACILITY SERVES AS THE CENTRAL LABORATORY FOR URINE EXAMINATIONS IN THE METHADONE TREATMENT PROGRAMME.

+THE EASTERN STREET SERVICE HAS BEEN TRANSFERRED TO THE NEW LABORATORY WHICH WILL HANDLE ALL INCOMING SPECIMENS. THERE WILL ALSO BE SCOPE FOR INCREASING THE EXISTING LEVEL OF SAMPLE INTAKE IN DUE COURSE, HE SAID.

THE DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES, DR K.L. THONG, THE ACTING COMMISSIONER FOR NARCOTICS, MR BOWEN LEUNG AND THE GOVERNMENT CHEMIST, DR A. NUTTEN ALSO ATTENDED THE OPENING CEREMONY.

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