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VI. DEVELOPMENT

FORWARD PLANNING

(See table 71)

163. Reference has been made previously in this report to the un- paralleled hospital development of the past 15 years. However, the population has also been increasing very rapidly and there is still con- siderable pressure on most categories of hospital beds, particularly those for acute and chronic general and mental patients. The White Paper on Development of Medical Services in Hong Kong which was tabled in Legislative Council in February 1964, outlined the medical problems of the Colony and made suggestions to remedy deficiencies in order to produce, in the face of a rapidly increasing population, reasonably satis- factory standard of medical facilities. Developments have to take into account the ability of the community to afford these facilities either by direct payment or by indirect payment by means of taxation. The Working Party which prepared the White Paper was re-constituted by His Excellency the Governor as the Medical Development Plan Standing Committee. The Director of Medical and Health Services is its Chair- man and the Committee comprises two nominated members of the Legislative Council and representatives of the Medical and Health Department, the Finance Branch of the Colonial Secretariat, and, when necessary, the Public Works Department. The Committee has held 29 meetings since its inception, in order to keep the recommendations made in the White Paper under continuous administrative review and to report its conclusions on all major matters to Government through the Medical Advisory Board. The Committee's activities fall into five main categories. namely development of medical institutions; staffing of such institutions; subventions to Government-assisted institutions; fees and charges; and improved utilization of existing medical facilitics.

164. The principal matters, amongst many, with which the Committee continued to occupy themselves were: the alterations to and extensions of Queen Mary Hospital aimed at ensuring that an acute highly specializ ed teaching hospital of 1,080 beds will be fully provided before the end of 1969; the progress made with the provision of a new 1,100-beds general hospital at Lai Chi Kok; the planning of a new convalescent block in the grounds of Kowloon Hospital; the adequacy of the present psychiatric services, a new mental hospital of approximately 1,000 beds being approved; the review of fees and charges at Government hospitals and clinics, a matter still under consideration at the end of the year,

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and in regard to which no early decision is likely; and the subventions paid to Government-assisted institutions.

165. Amongst new matters considered by the Committee were: reprovision of the out moded and antiquated old public mortuary now at Hill Road, West Point, on a suitable site further to the west; expan- sion of the facilities of the Treatment and Rehabilitation Centre for Drug Addicts at Shek Kwu Chau; a standard out-patient and maternity and child health clinic at Kwai Chung North; expansion of the mortuary and Clinical Pathology Services at Queen Mary Hospital with the addition of an expanded and reprovisioned Colony Virus Laboratory.

COMPLETED PROJECTS

166. The year 1966-67 saw the completion of a number of major additions to the Colony's medical and health services. Although most of these have been mentioned elsewhere in the report, it is appropriate to summarize them in this chapter.

167. The Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club was again to the fore in its assistance in the development of medical institutions in the Colony. The early part of the year under review saw the completion of standard General and Maternal Child Health Clinic at Cheung Sha Wan while the massive polyclinic at Yau Ma Tei was opened in March of 1967. A new floor to the Tsan Yok Maternity Hospital also donated by the Jockey Club was completed at about the same time and work on the conversion of the 4th and 5th floors of this hospital, part of the Jockey Club Scheme, is still in progress.

168. Projects completed during the year and financed in entirety by Government were the 2 new wards at Castle Peak Hospital to give an additional 240 beds and new Sisters, Nurses and Doctors Quarters plus a new Nurses Training School at Queen Mary Hospital. The new Operating Theatre, Central Sterile Supply Department and Pharmacy Block, and the Professorial and Radiotherapy Block also at this hospital, were to all intents and purposes completed by the end of March, 1967.

169. Major projects at Government-assisted medical institutions which were completed during the year were: the John F. Kennedy Spastic Children's Centre for the education and rehabilitation of 60 resident, and 20 or more non-resident child-sufferers from cerebral- palsy, donated by the World Rehabilitation Fund, administered by the Hong Kong Red Cross, and planned by the Medical and Health Depart-

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