XN000022-1983-09-18 — Page 3

N

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 1983

TWO MORE SCANNERS FOR GOVERNMENT HOSPITALS

*****

ALL THREE REGIONAL HOSPITALS IN HONG KONG WILL BE EQUIPPED WITH SOPHISTICATED WHOLE BODY SCANNERS BY THE BEGINNING OF NEXT YEAR, THE MEDICAL AND HEALTH DEPARTMENT ANNOUNCED TODAY (SUNDAY).

THE DEPARTMENT SAID IT HAD BOUGHT TWO MORE SCANNERS WHICH WOULD BE INSTALLED IN QUEEN MARY HOSPITAL AND PRINCESS MARGARET HOSPITAL AND BECOME OPERATIONAL DURING THE NEXT THREE - FOUR MONTHS.

THE FIRST SCANNER WAS INSTALLED IN QUEEN ELIZABETH HOSPITAL 10 MONTHS AGO AND HAS SINCE BEEN USED ON MORE THAN 1 400 OCCASIONS.

A SPOKESMAN FOR THE DEPARTMENT SAID THE BRITISH-MADE COMPUTERISED AXIAL TOMOGRAPHY (CAT) SCANNERS COST ABOUT $15 MILLION, THE ONE ALREADY BEING OPERATED BY THE INSTITUTE OF RADIOLOGY AND ONCOLOGY AT QUEEN ELIZABETH HOSPITAL HAS PROVED A SUBSTANTIAL AID IN DIAGNOSING VARIOUS FORMS OF HEAD, BODY AND BRAIN DISEASES.

BODY SCANNERS WERE NOW REGARDED AS AN ESSENTIAL AND STANDARD PIECE OF EQUIPMENT AT ANY LARGE MODERN ACUTE GENERAL HOSPITAL.

THE SPOKESMAN SAID, COMPARED WITH EXISTING OR CONVENTIONAL METHODS OF RADIODIAGNOSIS, THE USE OF THE CAT SCANNER WAS NON- INVASIVE, MORE EFFICIENT AND ACCURATE AND SUBSTANTIALLY LESS TIME CONSUMING.

+AS A RESULT, THERE ARE VARIOUS ADVANTAGES, SUCH AS REDUCTION IN WAITING TIMES, SHORTER PERIODS IN HOSPITAL AND BETTER USAGE OF BEDSPACE, HE SAID.

WORK ON INSTALLING THE SCANNER AT QUEEN MARY HOSPITAL WILL START SHORTLY AND THE MACHINE WILL BE READY FOR USE BY DECEMBER. THE PRINCESS MARGARET HOSPITAL SCANNER WILL BE INSTALLED WITHIN THE NEXT TWO MONTHS AND BECOME OPERATIONAL EARLY NEXT YEAR.

-

JOB AGENCIES REMINDED ABOUT LICENCE NEED

*****

EMPLOYMENT AGENCIES ARE CONTROLLED BY LAW AND AN OPERATOR MUST OBTAIN A LICENCE FROM THE LABOUR DEPARTMENT, A SPOKESMAN FOR THE LABOUR DEPARTMENT SAID TODAY (SUNDAY).

THE SPOKESMAN REMINDED PROSPECTIVE OPERATORS THAT EMPLOYMENT AGENCIES ARE SUBJECT TO CONTROL BY THE EMPLOYMENT ORDINANCE AND THE EMPLOYMENT AGENCY REGULATIONS.

UNDER THE ORDINANCE, HE ADDED, AN EMPLOYMENT AGENCY IS DEFINED AS AN ESTABLISHMENT WHICH AIMS AT OBTAINING EMPLOYMENT FOR ANOTHER PERSON OR SUPPLYING PERSONNEL TO AN EMPLOYER BOTH WITHIN OR OUTSIDE HONG KONG. THE LICENCE FEE FOR SUCH AN AGENCY IS $300 A YEAR.

'THE AMOUNTS