Helicoptor landing at a small village in the New Territories.
port and airport free from Aedes aegypti and inspection of all vessels carrying more than twenty unberthed immigrants, A service rendering medical advice by wireless on request to ships at sea is also maintained. In addition to routine work, the Port Health launches, equipped with stretchers, first aid equipment and radio-telephones, provide an am- bulance service in the port area.
228. Four Port Health inoculation centres are maintained, 3 on the Island and 2 in Kowloon (including 1 at the airport), for the convenience of persons requiring International Certificates for travel. Free pro- phylactic vaccinations are also offered at these centres to members of the public. Inoculators are also posted to various centres throughout the Colony and are responsible for the field work in connexion with immunization campaigns which are carried out under the immediate supervision of Medical and Health Officers.
229. On the 14th August quarantine restrictions were imposed against persons arriving from Macau and the Kwangtung Province of China on the receipt of information that these areas were infected with cholera. A few days later the infection spread to Hong Kong and the Colony was declared to be infected with cholera on the 17th August, 1961. Details of the outbreak are given elsewhere in this report.
DISTRICT MIDWIFERY SERVICES
230. The difficulties attending home deliveries under existing housing conditions and the growing appreciation of the advantages of the skilled attention available in institutions have resulted in a continuing decline in domiciliary midwifery. During the year less than 3.5% of all registered births took place in the home as against 6% in the previous year. This is reflected in the further decline in maternal mortality which has shown a dramatic fall in recent years.
231. It is now Government policy gradually to withdraw facilities for domiciliary midwifery and to provide instead beds for normal mid- wifery in all new clinics constructed in urban areas where the needs of the district warrant this provision. In the New Territories the policy has been and still continues to be to include maternity beds in all new clinics. During the year 25 maternity beds were provided in the Jockey Club Clinic which was opened at Shek Wu Hui in June 1961.
232. The work of the Government Midwifery Service during 1961 is summarized in Table 18.
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