X1000306-1978-79_Part01 — Page 7

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VI.

CLINIC SRVICES (Tables 54 64)

General and Specialist Out-patient

Pressure romained heavy througout the year on all general out-patient clinics and also on apecialist clinics. The general out-patient attendance was 4.27 million, an increase of 2.4% compared with the previous year while specialist attendance was 7.84 million, an increase of 2%. Figure 11 shows the demand for services over the past decade. Clinic sessions in evenings and on Sundays and public holidays are provided whenever required.

Faychiatry

3,689 new attendances were recorded at government psychiatric clinics. This represented a significant increase of 11% over 1977.

In 1978, 596 patients were treated at 5 psychiatric day contres supplementing in-patient services at the hospitals. The day-centres are proving to he very popular.

Ophthalmology

The service has 2 main out-patient centres and some mobile ophthalmic teams which visit regional and district hospitals as well as clinics held on sessional basis. Total attendance in 1978 was 229,037, a decrease of 15% over 1977. This was the result of a change in policy of the booking system whereby a doctor's referral is needed. Consequently simpler ophthalmic cases are dealt with by general outpatient departments. 15 corneal transplantations were done during the year.

The number of persons first registered as blind was 698, compared with 572 in 1977.

Ear Nose and Throat

The EMT Service comprises of the Hong Kong and Outlying Islands Division based at Queen Mary Ilospital, and the Kowloon and New Territorios Division based at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Kyong Wah Hospital and Princess Margaret Hospital. There are 11 clinics in rural and urban arcas and total out-patient attendance was 60,562, a decrease of 2% from 1977. Minor surgery is performed on a sessional basis in out-patient clinics.

Child Assessment

The Arran Street Child Assessment and Hearing Aid Clinic came into being in October 1977. It provides comprehensive assessment of handicapped children under the age of 12. Six more child assessment centros have been planned for construction over the next 10 years.

District Midwifery

The percentage of births at maternity homes continued to drop from 12.2% in 1977 to 10.8% in 1978 for government maternity homes and from 46 to 3.3% for private maternity homes. This is attributable to a growing affinity of expectant mothers for hospital-based deliveries.

School Medical Service

On 31st March 1979 the number of pupile participating totalled 132,022 from 768 schools, compared with 111,494 from 747 schools in 1978. Medical practitioners taking part in the schote numbered 211 compared with 202.

Registration of Clinics

There were 82 registered static clinics,

1 one registered mobile clinic in the charge of registered medical practitioners, and 315 clinics registered with exemption making a total of 398 on 31st March 1979.

Pathology

VII.

SPECIAL SERVICES

(Table 65 - 70)

The Institute of Pathology runs clinical pathology and public health laboratory services for the government and a consultant service for the government-assisted sector. It also administers mortuaries and blood banks. A total of 4.56 million examinations was undertaken by the Institute. This represented an increase of 17% over the previous year; this excludes tests done for Queen Mary Hospital which is served by the Department of Pathology of the Hong Kong University.

48,372 pints of blood were received of which 48,180 were collected by the Red Cross.

Two cases of cholera were detected in the summer of 1978. The causative agent identified whe Vibrio cholerae, biotype El Tor, serotype Ogawa. Prompt action was undertaken to prevent further spread of the diseasc.

8% of the donated blood were found to be positive for hepatitis B surface antigen na compared with 6 of the previous year. Radiology and Oncology

divisions

The Institute of Radiology and Oncology comprises three main

radiodiagnostic, radiotherapy and radiation physics.

The Radiodiagnostic Division provides x-ray diagnostic service. The division operates from hospitals, polyclinics, clinics and notile radiography units. 825,220 examinations were performed which is an increase of 9.2% over last year.

The Radiotherapy Division is the largest radiotherapy centre in Hong Kong. It is based in both Queen Elizabeth Hospital and queen Mary Hospital and treats more than 90% of patients requiring the service. also operates a Cancer Registry. The number of patients with malignant

It diseases treated was 4,110, an increase of 8 compared with 1977.

The Badiation Physica Division is responsible for the operation of the Radioisotope Laboratories, the Mould Laboratorics, the Radiological Workshop, the Photographic Section and the Radiation Health Unit. It runs a film-badge radiation monitoring and protection service for radiation workers and also acts in an advisory capacity within the Radiation Board on radiation hazards and protection.

Anaesthesia

The anaesthetic service manned 234 operating sessions a week and 8 emergency operating theatres on a 24-hour basis. 58,213 operations were done under anaesthesia in 1978, an increase of 1.4% compared with 1977. With Princess Margaret Hospital in full operation, anaesthetic service has become more accessable to smaller hospitals and clinical units in the New Territories.

/Forensic

VII. /