X1000306-1967-68_Part01 — Page 7

6. The continuing shortage of doctors and certain other professional personnel was a grave problem during the year, but the services con- tinued to be satisfactorily maintained despite the difficult conditions,

7. In the following pages are reviewed the state of the public health and the more important developments in the work of the Medical and Health Department and of the major voluntary agencies which are in receipt of substantial subventions from Government funds for the support of their medical activities. Detailed information covering all aspects of these fields is to be found in the Statistical Appendix to this report, the index to which is at page 58.

DEATHS PER

1009 LITE BIREAN

FIGURE !

INFANT AND NED-NATAL MORALITY 1953 - 1967

UNFANT

扣

CHEO-NATAL

II. PUBLIC HEALTH

VITAL STATISTICS

(See tables 6-12)

8. The estimated mid-year population in 1967 was 3,834,000 of which approximately 85% was concentrated in the urban areas of Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. Approximately 40% of the population are below the age of 15 years and only 6% over the age of 60. The general state of health of the population continued to be satisfactorily reflected by the Colony's vital statistics. The crude death rate, at 5.1 per thousand of population, is one of the lowest in the world and reflects the rapid im- provement of medical and health services in a young and expanding population. The birth pattern continued its downward trend and the crude birth rate fell further from 24.8 in the previous year to 23.0 per thousand of population. Based on actual registration of births and deaths, there was a natural increase of 68,527, over five thousand less than the previous year.

9. The gratifying declines in infant and neonatal mortality rates, which are indicative of the trends of health conditions of the general population, are illustrated in Figure 1.

Infant Mortality

10. The steady decline in infant mortality has been due to improve- ment in environmental conditions, development of maternal and child health services and increasing public appreciation of the value of these

2

1953

15 50 57 K

TEAR

services in the maintenance of health amongst infants and mothers. Among the major causes of infant mortality there have been great reductions in mortality from the preventable diseases particularly bronchopneumonia, gastro-enteritis and tuberculosis. There has also been a steady reduction in mortality from prematurity due to improve- ments in the midwifery and maternal health services. As has been the experience elsewhere, congenital malformations and other diseases of the new-bom are proving more intractable and mortality from these causes has, as yet, been unaffected. As shown in Figure 1 there has been a slight upward trend in infant and neo-natal mortality in the last two years. This is attributed to fluctuations in mortality trends especially when the fall in mortality has reached a low level.

Maternal Mortality

11. Here also the statistics pertaining to Hong Kong have attained the standards prevailing in the developed countries of the world. During recent years great improvement in mortality has been obtained from toxaemia of pregnancy, haemorrhage and puerperal sepsis. There has been some reduction in mortality from abortion and ectopic pregnancy and deaths attributed to other conditions occurring during pregnancy or childbirth have also decreased in numbers.