All leprosy cases needing in-patient treatment are admitted into Lai Chi Kok Hospital and in 1980 there were 18 new admissions.
Dermatology Service
The total number of attendance in the skin clinic was 51,582 including 17,971 new cases. The six commonest skin diseases encountered were eczema, fungal infections, acne, scabies, lichen simplex and verruca. As in previous years there was a very low incidence of skin cancer.
Narcotics and Drugs Administration
The department runs a methadone maintenance as well as det crification scheme for drug addicta. There are at present 20 methadone clinica over Hong Kong operating daily including Sundaya and Public holidays. In August 1980, a central laboratory for urine testing was opened and operated by the Government Chemist, providing a fast and efficient analytical support to the methadone clini on « The average daily attendance of the services ranges from 6,500 to 7,000.
Occupational Health and Hyri ene
The Occupational Health Division, formerly known as the Industrial Health Division of the Labour Department, provides an advisory service to government and industry on matters concerning the health of workers and the hygiene of the workplace and also performs a supervisory function in occupational health standards and practice, The aim of occupational health is to maintain and improve the physical and mental well-being of workers, protecting them againet any hazard arising from their employment and helping in their adjustment to their tasks.
The need to develop servicen to cope with increase in population and industry in recent years has been recognised in the White Paper on "the Further Development of Medical and Health Services", à consultant in occupational health has now been appointed to head the division to plan and guide expansion of the division into a full occupational health service,
Tha division consists of medical and nursing sections responsible for the assessment of the worker and the affects of employment on health, and an occupational hygiene unit concerned with the recognition, evaluation and control of physical, chemical and biological hazards in the working environment. A team approach is usually adopted in practice.
A prime responsibility of the division ie the investigation of notified occupational disease and potential hazards reported by the Factory Inspectorate to determine preventive action,
In addition, planned surveys and monitoring of processes involving possible physical, chemical or biological hazarda are conducted (e.g, cotton dust in the textile industry, chromium plating, use of manganese etc.). The medical examination of personnel exposed to ionizing radiation and government divers and compressed air workers is another on-going activity aimed at ensuring that the worker is fit for his task and that the work is not adversely affecting his health.
/The Occupational
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The Occupational Health Officere and Health Visitors and Nurses of the division are also involved in the assessment and rehabilitation of injured workare and staffing the medical boards required to implement the Employees' Compensation Ordinance and also deal similarly with cases of silicosis under the Pneumoconi cais (Compensation) Ordinanon.
The laboratory of the Occupational Health Division carries cut analytical procedures on biological samples from workers' urine, blood, etc. and the working environment e.g. concentration of vilica. It also assists in analysis required by the general air pollution monitoring programme in Hong Kong.
In 1980, there were 328 cases of decompressi an sicknesa, 13 cases of contact dermatitis, 7 cases of lead poisoning and 1 case of poisoning by organic chemical notified. Among the non--notifiable cooupational diseases, 205 casea of silicosis, 4 cases of gas poisoning. 3 cases of arc eye and 1 cane each of asbestosis, toluene disocyanate induced asthma and resin induced pharyngitis were recorded.
737 field surveye and 8,102 laboratory analyses were conducted, representing respectively a decrease of 30% and an increase of 20% as compared with those of 1979.
There were 89,844 occupational injuries reported. of these, 70,386 non-fatal and 235 fatal cases were processed under the Employees' Compensation Ordinance, In connection with workmen's compensation claime, 480 and 23,748 cases were assessed by industrial health officers and medical assessment boards respectively.
Health Education
The Central Health Education Unit provides prof easi cual advice on health education, and serves as a resource unit to give technical aids and information. It plans, co-ordinates and developa activities within the department and with other organisati ona.
The unit works to a Health Education Co-ordinating Committee set up in the Department to advise on programmes of activities and decide on priorities. The committee also provides general guidance and assistance to the Unit on the development and implementation of heal th education programmes.
In the early part of the year the unit continued to stage a Family Health Campaign with major exhibitions in City Hall, district exhibitions in Tsuen Wan and Kwun Tong, à total attendance of over 50,000 was recorded, An anti-smoking campaign was held in associati on with the Hong Kong Cardiological Society and the Hong Kong Heart Poundation Ltd. The theme of the exhibition was "Smoking or Health, the choice is yours". Emphania was placed on the education of the public through the mase media and posters. The Campaign was directed towards the smokers as well as the non-amokers with the aim of creating a non-smoking norm. The message on the health hazards of smoking was further integrated into all the other health educational programmes,
In the later .............
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