X1000306-1961-62_Part01 — Page 10

Medical and Health Departmental Reports 醫務衛生署年報 All

19. Further comment is made on cholera in paragraphs 75 to 110 of this report and the outbreak has been fully recorded in the Gover- ment White Paper on the Outbreak of Cholera in Hong Kong tabled in the Legislative Council on 13th December, 1961.

20. The Medical Advisory Board which was established in 1946 to advise on health problems arising after the re-occupation, was recon- stituted during the year with wider terms of reference. Now representa- tive of all major organizations concerned with medical and health work in the Colony, its function is to advise His Excellency the Governor on all problems referred to the Board which concern the health of the people of Hong Kong.

21. The proposal to establish a School Medical Service, utilizing the services of private medical practitioners, has been welcomed by the Chinese Medical Association and over 200 of its members have agreed provisionally to participate in the Service. A Working Party consisting of unofficial members of Councils, of representatives of Government Departments, the Chinese Medical Association and private Schools is being constituted to make recommendations to Government on the organization and working of this Service.

22. Reference was made in the last Annual Report to the outline development plan for the Medical and Health Services, covering a period of fifteen years. Following receipt of the corrected census returns, the 1960 to 1965 segment of the plan, already approved in principle, was reviewed and the provisional programme for 1966 to 1972 considered in detail in relation to population densities and their projected distribution. A comprehensive plan has now been compiled and is being examined by the Government.

23. A happy and memorable event was the visit by Her Royal High- ness The Princess Alexandra of Kent to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital School of Nursing in November. A guard of honour was formed by nurses and student nurses from the Government Hospitals and the members of the Nursing Board and the Midwives Board were presented to Her Royal Highness. At the reception that followed, Her Royal Highness talked to leading members of the nursing profession and to a number of student nurses and student midwives from the general nurses and midwives training schools in the Colony,

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ADMINISTRATION OF THE MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES

24. Statutory responsibility for the administration of the services safeguarding the public health in Hong Kong lies jointly with the Director of Medical and Health Services, the Urban Council, the Direc- tor of Urban Services, the Commissioner of Labour and the District Commissioner. New Territories. Executive functions in connexion with curative medical services and a number of aspects of preventive medicine throughout Hong Kong are the responsibility of the Medical and Health Department. The Urban Council is concerned with environmental sanitation in the urban areas of Hong Kong Island and Kowloon, through the Urban Services Department, The Director of Urban Services has executive functions as the Health Authority for certain of the townships in the New Territories and administers their environmental sanitary services. Medical Officers of Health are seconded in an advisory capacity to the Urban Services Department and the Labour Department has an Industrial Health section staffed by personnel of the Medical and Health Department.

STAFF

25. The Director of Medical and Health Services is the Head of the Department, the chief adviser to Government on medical and health policy, and an Official Member of the Legislative Council. He is a member of a number of the Boards and Committees of voluntary organizations engaged in medical and health work whose activities receive substantial support by way of Government subventions. He is also the Chairman of the Radiation board and of the Statutory Boards dealing with the registration and disciplinary control of Medical Practi- tioners, Dentists, Pharmacists. Nurses and Midwives.

26. The Deputy Director of Medical and Health Services is the chief exccutive medical and health officer, who co-ordinates the work of the Medical and Health Divisions, each of these divisions being in charge of an Assistant Director. The Deputy Director is also Vice-Chairman of the Urban Council and is the principal adviser to that body on health matters. The Principal Matron is the Chief Nursing Officer and administers the Nursing Division which provides nursing, midwifery, health visitor and health sister services.

27. The Health Division, which is the administrative responsibility of the Assistant Director, Health, is concerned with infectious disease control, personal health services. rural hygiene and certain ancillary services. The Medical Division is the responsibility of the Assistant

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