XN000022-1982-12-29 — Page 2

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 29, 1982

HOSPITAL ACTIVITY HITS RECORD LEVEL

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ATTENDANCES AT THE CASUALTY DEPARTMENTS OF MAJOR GOVERNMENT HOSPITALS AND AT VARIOUS GENERAL AND SPECIALIST OUT-PATIENT CLINICS - AND ADMISSIONS TO HOSPITAL WARDS - REACHED THE HIGHEST RECORDS LAST YEAR,

THE 1981-82 ANNUAL REPORT PUBLISHED RECENTLY BY THE MEDICAL AND HEALTH DEPARTMENT, SHOWS THAT MORE THAN 13.4 MILLION OUT-PATIENTS WERE TREATED AT VARIOUS GOVERNMENT INSTITUTIONS.

+HOWEVER, THE DEVELOPMENT OF MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES SHOWED NO SIGNS OF SLOWING DOWN BUT, IN FACT, PROGRESSED SATISFACTORILY IN KEEPING PACE WITH THE NEED OF THE GROWING POPULATION, THE REPORT STATES.

THE TOTAL COMPRISED 4.46 MILLION AT GENERAL CLINICS, 761 000 AT CASUALTY DEPARTMENTS AND 8.19 MILLION AT SPECIALIST CLINICS.

THE NUMBER OF OUT-PATIENTS AT GOVERNMENT-ASSISTED INSTITUTIONS TOPPED 1.94 MILLION DURING THE YEAR.

IN-PATIENTS AT GOVERNMENT INSTITUTIONS TOTALLED 384 246 AND AT GOVERNMENT-ASSISTED INSTITUTIONS 195 232.

FOR THE 1981-82 FISCAL YEAR, EXPENDITURE FOR THE MEDICAL AND HEALTH DEPARTMENT REACHED $1 204.3 MILLION, SUBVENTIONS FOR NON-GOVERNMENT MEDICAL INSTITUTIONS AND ORGANISATIONS $629.4 MILLION AND CAPITAL OUTLAYS ON HOSPITALS AND OTHER BUILDINGS $286 MILLION. THESE FIGURES REPRESENT INCREASES OF 31.8 PER CENT, 32 PER CENT AND 13.5 PER CENT OVER THE PRECEDING YEAR.

THE REPORT POINTS OUT THAT THE GENERAL LEVEL OF HEALTH OF HONG KONG'S POPULATION REMAINED GOOD, DUE LARGELY TO THE ANTI- EPIDEMIC AND SURVEILLANCE MEASURES, DEVELOPMENTS IN PREVENTIVE AND PERSONAL HEALTH SERVICES AND GENERÁL IMPROVEMENT IN SOCIO-ECONOMIC CONDITIONS.

THE CRUDE DEATH RATE OF 4.8 PER THOUSAND POPULATION IN 1981 CONTINUED ITS STEADY DECLINE OVER THE LAST TWO DECADES, COMPARED WITH THE RATE OF 5 FOR EVERY THOUSAND PEOPLE IN 1971 AND 5.9 IN 1961.

THE FIVE LEADING CAUSES OF DEATH IN 1981 WERE CANCER, HEART DISEASES, CEREBRAL VASCULAR DISEASES, PNEUMONIA AND VARIOUS INJURIES AND POISONING.

CANCER ACCOUNTED FOR 127.8 DEATHS FOR EVERY 100 000 PEOPLE. UP FROM 104.7 IN 1971 AND 72 IN 1961 WHILE HEART DISEASES KILLED 74.3 OUT OF 100 000 PEOPLE, COMPARED WITH 74 IN 1971 AND 58.9 IN 1961.

BUT TUBERCULOSIS MORTALITY DROPPED FROM 60.2 PER 100 000 POPULATION TO 30.9 IN 1971 AND TO 9.5 LAST YEAR.

THE FAMILY HEALTH SERVICE OPERATES 40 CENTRES, PROVIDING A COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH PROGRAMME FOR WOMEN OF CHILD BEARING AGE AND CHILDREN UP TO FIVE YEARS OF AGE.

/LAST YEAR,