X1000306-1983-84_Part01 — Page 4

I Introduction

The Medical and Health Department provides a wide comprehensive spectrum of health services for the community of Hong Kong. The ever-increasing population, the rising expectation of the people coupled with the constraints of limited financial and manpower resources have imposed a heavy strain on the provision of these services. Attendance B at all the existing health care centres had been on the increase and attained record heights. However, with meticulous planning and control, the development programmes of the department had progressed satisfactorily and had kept in pace with the pressing demand for norvice.

For the 1983/84 financial year, the Madical and Health Department's expenditure was $1,790.1 millions. Subventions totalling about $912.3 millions are also being made to many non-government medical institutions and organisations. The capital expenditure on hospitals and other buildings including furniture and equipment was $229.2 millions.

II Health of the Communi ty

The general level of health of the population in Hong Kong reming good. This is largely due to the anti-epidemio and disease surveillance meseien, developments in preventive and personal beal th services and general improvement in the socio-economic conditions of the population. This progress is further reflected in the highly satisfactory health indices and the general decline in the incidence of major communicable diseases.

The estimated mid-year population or Hong Kong in 1983 was 5.31 millions, an increase of 1.5 % compared with the previous year. It is also estimated that about 23.9 % of the population were under 15 and 7.2 % were 65 and over.

The crude death rate we 5.0 per thousand population. Figure 2 shows the age specific death rates in Hong Kong for the year 1983. The five major leading causes of death in Hong Kong were malignant neoplasme, heart diseases, cerebral vascular diseases, pneumonia and various injuries/poisoning. The commonest forms of malignancy in Hong Kong were danger of the lung, liver, nasopharynx, stomach and intestine.

The total number of registered live births in the year wad 82 015, a crude birth rate of 15.4 per thousand population compared to 16.4 in 1982. In the same year, the infant mortality rate was 10.1 per thousand live birthe against 9.9 in 1982. The major causes of infant deaths recorded were congenital abnormalities (31%), anoxia, hyporia and birth asphyxia (30 %), immaturity (9%) and preumonia (9%). The ma tarnal mortality rate van 0,07 per thousand total birthe as compared with 0,01 in 1982.