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Castle Peak Hospital

MENTAL HEALTH SERVICE

101. This hospital for psychiatric patients, originally designed for 1,000 beds, was required to accommodate during the year an average of some 1,250 patients. Psychiatric cases from the whole Colony are admitted to this hospital and the great majority of such cases continued to present as voluntary patients.

102. Treatment facilities were augmented by the provision of portable faradic batteries for aversion therapy and these have been used with effect in selected obsessional and phobic patients. A further interesting feature was the formation in certain wards of ward commit- tees; these are elected by the patients themselves and meet with the nursing staff to discuss ward matters, particularly social and recreational activities,

103. The first Guest Day in the history of the hospital was success- fully held on 23rd June, 1964 to allow members of the public and of various organizations to view the hospital and its work.

Day Hospital and Psychiatric Clinics

104. Work in the out-patient centres continued to increase, and it was found necessary to hold sessions twice-weekly in the Tsim Sha Tsui Health Centre in Kowloon. In addition to these clinics, psychiatric services are provided for the Psychiatric Observation Unit in Victoria Remand Prison.

The New Life Mutual Aid Club. consisting of discharged patients and their relatives, continued to expand its activities. The club- house, established in 1963. was used as an experimental half-way house* from May 1964 onwards. A total of 68 patients, either homeless or rejected by their families, were accommodated after their discharge from Castle Peak Hospital, and 44 found employment through the assistance afforded by the Club.

Drug Addiction Treatment Centre

106. This centre, situated in Castle Peak Hospital, has provided treatment on a voluntary basis for male drug addicts since early 1961. Following the opening in 1963 of Shek Kwu Chau, maintained by the Society for the Aid and Rehabilitation of Drug Addicts, patients remain- ed in the centre for one month during the immediate withdrawal period

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and thereafter transferred to Shek Kwu Chau for rehabilitation. It is planned that all addicts, other than Government servants, will ultimately be admitted direct to Shek Kwu Chau and gradual implementation of this policy commenced during the year.

107. No new features in therapy were recorded, bui oral adminis- tration of methadone was introduced, replacing the intravenous route, as a result of trials with amino-hydroxy-butyric acid in the treatment of the withdrawal syndrome.

INFECTIOUS DISEASES HOSPITALS

108. There are two hospitals which admit patients suffering from infectious diseases the Sai Ying Pun Hospital on Hong Kong Island and the Lai Chi Kok Hospital in Kowloon; the latter also provides some accommodation for convalescent cases from the Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth Hospitals,

109. The general pattern of admissions followed that experienced in previous years with certain fluctuations. There was a rise in the number of admissions of diphtheria cases during the winter months of 1964- 1965 as compared with the previous year, but the case fatality rate dropped considerably. At the same time there was also an increase in the number of cases of acute anterior poliomyelitis, mainly in Kowloon.

110. Typhoid admissions remained comparatively unchanged. The disease occurs mainly amongst children and adolescents and is very often of a mild character. A further interesting point is that, for reasons as yet obscure, a positive urine culture is almost unknown, although the organism can be isolated from either blood or stool in approximately 70% of cases.

OTHER GOVERNMENT HOSPITALS

111. Other hospitals maintained by Government are the St. John Hospital, serving the island of Cheung Chau and neighbouring islands of the western sea-board; the Wan Chai Hospital for the care of female patients with skin diseases; the South Lantau Hospital serving the villages on the south-west coast of Lao Tau Island; and four hospitals within prison compounds in the Colony at Stanley Prison, Victoria Prison, Lai Chi Kok Female Prison and at the Tai Lam Prison for con- victed drug addicts.

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