213. Midwives in private practice attended 39.6% of all births, the great majority of these taking place in small maternity homes of from two to six beds. The Supervisor of Midwives, a Government Senior Medical and Health Officer, is responsible for the regular inspection of such homes and for the general supervision of the work of the midwives, in this task, she is assisted by a qualified Health Visitor. The work undertaken in 1962 by the private midwives is outlined in Table 16.
TABLE 16
PRIVATÝ MIDWIFERY SERVKE, 1962
between the Maternity Hospitals and the Maternal and Child Health Service to ensure the after-care of infants requiring special attention. The work performed during 1962, as compared with that of 1961, is detailed in Table 17.
TABLE 17
MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH SERVICES 1961-62
1967
Number of full time centres
F
1962
Ч
Number of subsidiary centres
19
21
Number of ante-natal sessions each year
2,631
2,195
***
New ante-natal attendances
22.905
23,203
115
Total ante-natal attendances
91.553
98.245
546
Number of post-natal sessions each year
857
931
42,327
New post-natal attendances
5.030
5,023
2.227
Total post-natal attendances
6.546 6.560
44.554
Number of infant welfare and toddler sessions
each year
4.815 5.103
37.735 44,348
363,206 417,760
8,990 9,989
Number of midwives in active practice
Number of registered maternity homes
Number of beds
Maternity home deliveries
Domiciliary deliveries
“Total deliveries
214. All midwives are trained to perform vaccinations against small- pox and to administer B.C.G. to new born infants. It is due to the efforts of these midwives, both Government and private, that 81.6% of all children born in 1962 received B.C.G. protection, a measure which has resulted in a dramatic fall in child mortality from tuberculosis.
MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH SERVICES
215. In this most important and popular aspect of the work of the Department, which is maintained on a 'well baby' clinic basis, the emphasis is on health education and the prevention of disease. All facilities are provided without charge and, once disease is detected, unless the ailment is minor, the child concerned is referred to the appropriate branch of the curative service for investigation and any necessary treat- mant. When cured, the patient is encouraged to return to the relevant Maternal and Child Health Clinic. Health Education programmes for groups of mothers in the clinics and of individuals during home visits are permanent and continuing activities of the Health Visitors. In the clinics, all forms of group education are available such as simple talks, film and puppet shows and flannel-graph illustrations; practical demon- strations and group discussions are also widely used, the choice of medium depending on the subject and on the audience.
216. Clinics are held in both full-time and part-time centres and there are sessions for ante-natal and post-natal cases, for infants aged 0-2 years and for toddlers aged 2-5 years. Close liaison is mainwined
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New infant welfare attendances
Tola! infant welfare attendances
New toddler welfare attendances Total toddler attendances
Total home visits
$7,903 69,774 64.167 82.231
217. A part time maternal and child health centre was opened in the Kwun Tong Resettlement Estate in May 1962, which will, in time, be replaced by a full-time centre in the new Kwun Tong Clinic now under construction. The part-time centre in North Point was replaced by a full-time centre in the Anne Black Clinic which was opened in September 1962, while a new full-time centre was opened in the Wang Tau Hom Jockey Club Clinic in February 1963.
218. Ante-natal and infant welfare clinics continued to be held once a month at Tai O on Lantau Island and infant welfare clinics were held twice weekly in the Wong Tai Sin Resettlement Estate. The total attendance at Government infant and toddler clinics increased by 15.8% and new attendances by 15.5%; only 0.17% of these attending for the first time showed any abnormality.
219. Immunization against diphtheria, whooping-cough and tetanus is given as a routine, using triple vaccine. Smallpox vaccination is given where necessary and children not known to have received B.C.G. are tuberculin tested, those with a negative reaction being offered such protection. Children aged 3 years and under who are tuberculin positive, but without signs of active disease, are given prophylactic L.N.A.H. for a period of one year.
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