XN000022-1982-03-11 — Page 2

THURSDAY, MARCH 11, 1982

GREATER EFFORT NEEDED TO DEAL WITH HEART DISEASE,

GOVERNOR SAYS ***

THE HIGH INCIDENCE OF CANCER AND HEART DISEASES CALLED FOR A REDEPLOYMENT OF HONG KONG'S MEDICAL EFFORT, THE GOVERNOR, SIR MURRAY MACLEHOSE, SAID TODAY.

IN OPENING THE KWOK TAK-SENG HEART CENTRE AT GRANTHAM HOSPITAL THIS AFTERNOON, SIR MURRAY POINTED OUT THAT HEART DISEASE ACCOUNTED FOR A QUARTER OF ALL DISEASES LEADING TO DEATHS. HE CONGRATULATED THE HONG KONG TUBERCULOSIS, CHEST AND HEART DISEASES ASSOCIATION AND THE HONG KONG HEART FOUNDATION ON ACTING TO MEET THE NEW CHALLENGE BY OPENING THE CARDIO- THORACIC CENTRE, WHICH MARKED A NEW CHAPTER IN THE HISTORY OF GRANTHAM HOSPITAL.

+ IT WILL PROVIDE ONE OF THE BEST EQUIPPED CENTRES FOR THE TREATMENT OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES IN ASIA, SOMETHING WHICH HONG KONG NEEDS AND CAN BE PROUD OF, AND I CONGRATULATE ALL WHO HAVE PLAYED A PART IN ITS CREATION, THE GOVERNOR SAID.

SIR MURRAY THANKED MR KWOK FOR HIS +EXTRAORDINARILY GENEROUS DONATION OF $12 MILLION TOWARDS THE COST OF THE NEW CENTRE FOR THE TREATMENT OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES.

THE GOVERNOR THEN PAID SPECIAL TRIBUTE TO THE LATE SUSAN YUEN WHO WAS FOR MANY YEARS CHAIRMAN OF THE HOUSE COMMITTEE OF THE HOSPITAL,

+SHE WAS ONE OF THE STERLING CHARACTERS OF HONG KONG, AND WITHOUT HER THE HOSPITAL WOULD NOT EXIST IN ITS PRESENT FORM, THE GOVERNOR SAID.

FOLLOWING IS THE TEXT OF SIR MURRAY'S SPEECH:

+CHAIRMAN, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,

+1 HAVE MUCH PLEASURE IN OFFICIATING AT THE OPENING CEREMONY OF THE NEW CARDIO-THORACIC CENTRE AT THE GRANTHAM HOSPITAL.

+WHEN THIS HOSPITAL WAS OPENED IN 1957, TUBERCULOSIS WAS OUR NUMBER ONE KILLER. SUCCESS IN COMBATING THIS DISEASE IS ILLUSTRATED BY THE STATISTICS. BETWEEN THE YEARS 1957 AND 1980 THE NOTIFICATION RATE DROPPED FROM 499 TO 160 AND THE MORTALITY RATE FROM 97.8 TO 10.9 PER 100 000 POPULATION. THIS HAS BEEN A TRIUMPH FOR THE MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES.

+THE MAJOR CAUSES OF DEATH NOW ARE CANCER AND HEART DISEASES AND THE LATTER ACCOUNTS FOR A QUARTER OF ALL DISEASES LEADING TO DEATHS, AND CALLS FOR A REDEPLOYMENT OF MEDICAL EFFORT.

/+I THEREFORE