X1000306-1963-64_Part01 — Page 44

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Lai Chi Kok Hospital

301. This hospital of 481 beds serves three categories of patients: 150 beds are allocated for infectious diseases, 72 for pulmonary tuber- culosis and the remaining 259 beds for convalescent patients from Kowloon (later Queen Elizabeth) and Queen Mary Hospitals.

302. Physiotherapy and occupational therapy units are maintained at the hospital, the former dealing mainly with the orthopaedic con- valescent patients and children with poliomyelitis while the latter deals with the long-stay convalescent and tuberculosis patients.

303. In the infectious disease section, the main change during the year was a marked reduction in the numbers of admissions due to diph- theria and poliomyelitis. In the former disease, the reduction was approx- imately 42% from 874 in 1962 to 503 in 1963, However, the cases seen continued to be of a severe character and 160 of them required immediate tracheotomy when presenting at the hospital.

304. With regard to poliomyelitis, there was a marked reduction in the number of cases admitted, reflecting the success of the mass oral vaccination campaign conducted in the first quarter of 1963.

305. As in the previous two years part of the hospital had to be made available for the isolation of cases suffering from cholera. The 1963 outbreak of this disease is reviewed in paragraphs 73 to 90 of this report.

306. Other diseases seen were typhoid, tetanus (mainly tetanus neonatorum) and dysentery, both bacillary and amoebic.

307. Details of the infectious cases requiring admission to the Lai Chi Kok Hospital and the Sai Ying Pun Hospital are shown in Table 46.

Sai Ying Pun Infectious Diseases Hospital

308. This hospital of a nominal 88 beds is situated on Hong Kong Island and is used entirely for the treatment of infectious diseases. The main pattern of disease scen is similar to that detailed previously for Lai Chi Kok Hospital and here also the number of diphtheria and poliomy- elitis cases showed a marked decline during the year.

309. An increasing number of bacillary dysentery cases and carriers were encountered during 1963; many of the organisms were resistant to the more common antibiotics.

310. Forty-nine cases of cholera were admitted during the year to the cholera wing; no deaths occurred although some patients were suffer- ing from intercurrent disease such as carcinoma of the lung, aortic stenosis and diabetes.

311. Table 46 details the cases of infectious disease admitted during 1963 to both Sai Ying Pun Hospital and Lai Chi Kok Hospital.

Diphtheria

Typhoid Tetanus

TABLE 46

INFECTIOUS DISEASE HOSPITAL, 1963

Caser

Deaths

Admitted

Case Fatality Rate (per cent)

#16

76

9.31

485

1.44

148

71

48,63

品

LI

Amoebic Dysentery

8$

2.23

Bacillary Dysentery

559

1

0.36

Tubercular Meningitis Measles

21

33.33

233

20

8.58

St. John Hospital

312. Consisting of 100 beds and a general outpatient department, this Hospital serves the Island of Cheung Chau and the neighbouring islands of the western sea-board. Specialist clinics for tuberculosis, paediatrics, medicine, dental, eye, social hygiene and skin diseases are also held at the hospital which provides accommodation for patients who require general medical and minor surgical treatment which cannot be given on an outpatient basis. Those requiring specialist medical or surgical treatment are transferred to Hong Kong Island.

313. There are 42 beds set aside for patients with pulmonary tuber- culosis who need in-patient supervision. These are largely occupied by adolescents with lesions of such nature that they cannot be allowed to attend school until they are rendered sputum negative.

Wan Chai Hospital

314. This small 30-bed hospital, originally intended for the inpatient treatment of venereal disease amongst women and children, is now primarily an institution for the care of female patients with skin diseases. A busy dermatological out-patient department is also maintained.

315. Out-patient facilities are also provided for the treatment of women suffering from venereal disease and for the examination of known female contacts.

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