the district served. In this way pressure on maternity hospital beds will be eased and services for the uncomplicated case will be sited more conveniently and nearer home.
220. There are now fourteen Government maternity homes in clinics. in the New Territories, two in the urban areas at the Eastern Maternity and Hung Hom clinics respectively. At 23 centres there are 53 domiciliary midwives available to undertake midwifery in nearby housing schemes and resettlement estates.
221. Table 18 sets out the categories of maternity services provided during the period 1950 to 1959 and the proportion of live births where a qualified person-doctor or midwife-was in attendance.
TABLE 18
LIVE BIRTHS 1950/59
according to type of Maternity Service
224. The Supervisor of Midwives who is a Government Medical Officer is responsible for the regular inspection and supervision of registered maternity homes and of the work of domiciliary midwives. Since September 1959 she has been assisted in this aspect of her work by a Health Visitor. There were 891 visits of inspection to the 122 maternity homes in the register during 1959.
225. Important aspects of the work are the vaccination of new born babies with B.C.G. and primary vaccinations against Smallpox. Altogether 54.74% of babies delivered by Government and private mid- wives were given B.C.G.; 81.08% of this cover was given by the Government midwives and 44,025 primary vaccinations were performed. 226. Table 19 gives a comparative outline of the development of the service during the past 10 years,
TABLE 19
Government Midwifery Service
1950
1959
Tape of Service
Governe
MIDAPITALS
Overathcdf-fasisted
Privabe
Total Live Binns in Hosplits
MATERNITY Homes & Government
Priyan
Toul Live Births in Macenly Homer
1900 10.163 (1677 16.333 (26.951 26.46 (43.72) 2,576 ( 4.25) 21,226 033.03) 23.102 (39.28)
TP53
19,986 (154) 28.272 (31.24)
ENDIM DETILRABLY
LOVE RIMEHRt Pelvis
2.338 (422)
3,614 ( 3.999
2.93)
44,912 449.621 6,144 ( 6.79, 30.972 (14.20) 37,116 (41.01)
Just
15,344 (4.58) 34,696 (13.13) 3.482 ( 3.00) 53.042 (50,723
9,372 ( 9.151 34.253 132.75) 43.825 (41,90) 3,000 (395)
District Centres
16
13
Midwives employed
31
No, of Beds in Government Maternity Homes Total cases attended
45
151
5.207
13,427
Maternity Home cases attended Domiciliary cases altended
2,633
10,321
2574
3,106
Private Practising Midwives
1
6.99 MILATI
1807 (2.000
3,073 (294)
No. of midwives in Active Practice
210
193
Tout Live Births by Dorticitiary Ser VİKES TOTAL LIVE BIRTHS ATTENDED BY QOXUFIEO
PunxONS
9.507 (15.69)
3.421 ( 5.99)
6.154 5.897
No. of maternity homes registered
14
122
No. of beds
379
524
TOTAL Ļive Berus KBaISTEKEN
54,BUS (96.69) 60,800
27.449 (96.60) 90511
103,021 198.51) 104,$79
No. of nursing homes registered
5
Total deliveries
28.512
37,605
Figures in brackets show the various numbers na a percentage of cocal live births rezistered,
222. The total number of cases attended by the Government District Midwifery Service during 1959 was 13.427 including still births and cases referred to hospitals. There were 168 still births recorded giving a still birth rate of 12.77 per 1,000 live births. The average annual case load for midwives was 263 compared to 280 during 1958 and the range varied from 52 to 795.
223. There is a continuing improvement in the frequency of ante- natal attendances and approximately 80% of women attended by Government or private midwives had at least one ante-natal examina- tion; the average number of ante-natal attendance for each case has risen from 3.4 in 1958 to 3.5 in 1959; the percentage of cases delivered without any ante-natal care was 13.44% the relevant figure for the previous year being 16.94%.
52
General
MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH
227. In this most important branch of the service the emphasis is on the prevention of disease and on health education. Once disease. exclusive of minor ailments, is detected the individual concerned is referred to the appropriate curative centre. All facilities are provided free and are available at seven full-time and twenty one part-time centres. No new centres were opened during the year but two of the existing centres were moved into more adequate premises. Additional
53
Maternity home deliveries
21,489
34.496
Domiciliary deliveries
7,023
3,109
No. of midwives on Register
861
1.565
No. of midwives passed the Midwives Board Exam-
ination
69
128
Maternal Mortality Rate
1.70
0.73
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