X1000306-1959-60_Part01 — Page 41

of outpatient treatment can be visualized from the following figures of out-patient attendances;

19,50

1955

19:59

New cases

583

752

Old cases

30

Allendances of discharged in-patients

1,081 723

5,205

444

Total

305

2,387

6.406

293. It is, however, in the administrative aspects of psychiatric treatment that the main advances have been made. Voluntary treatment became legal during 1950, and the number of patients taking advantage of this has risen from 8 in that year to 1,343 during 1959. Treatment on an informal day basis was introduced in 1953, but the number of patients so treated has remained small due to limited accommodation and to the inability of many cases to make the daily journey to and from the hospital, Since 1956 a liberal policy with regard to patients' visitors has been in force: visiting times have been more flexible: children have been allowed to enter wards; and, on occasions, relatives or friends have been able to stay overnight with patients. Finally, during 1959, certain of the temporary wards have been run as 'open wards". while the chronic wards in Castle Peak Hospital were also conducted in a liberal fashion with patients taking part in field trips and visits of interest. Unfortunately, a true trial of the 'open ward' system cannot be attempted due to the presence of a certain number of criminal lunatics who cannot be accommodated elsewhere until a Prison Mental Hospital is available.

Sai Ying Pun Hospital

294. This hospital on Hong Kong Island, with a nominal capacity of 88 beds, is used entirely for the treatment of cases of infectious diseases. There is a wide seasonal fluctuation in the demands on the accommodation and as many as 163 in-patients may be in hospital at peak periods.

295. During the year there were 563 admissions for diphtheria with 28 deaths, 179 cases of typhoid with I death and 167 cases of bacillary dysentry. Cases of infective hepatitis, scarlet fever and streptococcal infections of the throat are becoming more and more common, as is rheumatic fever. Altogether there were 1.548 admissions during 1959 compared to 1.617 the previous year.

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296. The level of morbidity of infectious diseases treated in Sai Ying Pun has not altered materially during the past decade. Mortality rates, however. have declined markedly.

TABLE 27

CASE MORTALITY RATES 1950/39

19:30

1959

25.1%

4.9%

10.08%

0.5%

100.0%

$2.9%

12.1%

Nil

92.0%%%

44.07.

Diphtheria

Typhoid Fever

Tetanus neonatorum

Whooping cough

Tuberculosis meningitis

(Mortality expressed in percentage of cases admitted),

These improvements are attributed to the use of modern chemothera- peutic and antibiotic agents in addition to the more widespread use of immunizing agents, even though the latter have not been given according to the recommended schedules, due to lack of parental co- operation. On the other hand there has been a considerable emergence of strains of pathogens resistant to the suphonamides and the commoner antibiotics. For example there is an increasing number of cases of staphylococcal gastro-enteritis. In addition to numerous cases of sulphonamide resistant bacillary dysentry, there were thirty cases of chloramphenicol resistance and three cases of terramycin resistance. Nevertheless the reduction in mortality rates in the major infectious diseases has been encouraging.

297. The Medical Officer in charge of the Infectious Diseases Hospital assists with the training of medical students and is part-time lecturer in infectious diseases at the University. He is also responsible for the general supervision of the out-patient work at the associated Sai Ying Pun Out-Patients Department, now temporarily accommodated at the old Tsan Yuk Hospital. This is one of the busiest institutions in the Colony and there were 241,091 out-patient attendances in 1959 compared to 232,760 in 1958. This is the out-patient teaching centre for medical students and the University clinical units in the Queen Mary Hospital hold regular out-patient sessions here.

298. The new Sai Ying Pun Polyclinic built with funds donated by the Jockey Club is now nearing completion and will be opened in July 1960. This nine-storey building will give enhanced and up-to-date facilities serving the very densely populated western district of the Island and will include a major full-time chest clinic.

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