The health staff were involved in epidemiological and preventive activities such as contact tracing and follow-up of defaulters and those at risk of frequent exposure. Health education in social hygiene was also emphasized through frequent health talks and the issuing of pamphlets and posters to the public.
Leprosy Service
There has been a gradual fall in the incidence of leprosy during the past three decades. The number of new attendance for 1987 was 103, the number of new cases detected was 21 representing a rate of 0.37 per 100 000 of the population.
Tuberculoid cases consisted of about 47.6% of the cases. Male case predominated with a sex ratio of 3.2 to 1.
The number of contacts attended to during 1987 was 61 and all the four leprosy cases requiring inpatient treatment were admitted into Lai Chi Kok Hospital.
Dermatology Service
The total number of attendances at the skin clinics in 1987 was 57 980, including 16 412 new cases, The six common skin diseases encountered were eczema, tinea, acne, verruca, urticaria and contact dermatitis. 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 detoxification scheme for drug addicts. There are at present 25 methadone clinics over Hong Kong operating daily including Sundays and Public Holidays. Since 1980, a central laboratory for urine testing has been providing analytical reports to the methadone clinics. The total number of patients registered with the scheme was 11 500 with the daily attendance of the service ranging from about 7 200 to 11 600 in 1987.
Occupational Health Services
The Occupational Health Divizion, established within the Labour Department, provides an advisory service to the Government and the public on mattera concerning the health of workers and the hygiene of workplaces. It also serves a supervisory function in the observance of occupational health standards and practices. The objectives of the division are to maintain and improve the physical and mental well-being of workers, protect them against any health hazard arising from employment and help them in adjusting to their tasks. The assence of the service is disease prevention and health promotion.
A prime responsibility of the division is the investigation of notified occupational diseases and potential occupational health hazards reported by the factory inspectorate, other Government Departments and the public. Surveys are conducted by health officers, health nurses and hygienists in teams for the monitoring of possible physical, chemical and biological hazards in the work environment. The medical examination of Government divers, compressed air workers, pest control workers and personnel exposed to ionizing radiation is another activity aimed at
ensuring that workers are physically fit for their tasks and that the work does not adversely affect their health. The laboratory of the Occupational Health Division carries out analytical tests on biological samples from workers' urine and blood as well as other miscellaneous samples from the working environment. A total of 1 634 field surveys and 973 laboratory analyses were conducted in 1987.
The division is also involved in the medical assessment of injured employees in Employees' Compensation cases and also deals with cases of silicosis under the Pneumoconiosis (Compensation) Ordinance.
In 1987, 379 cases of occupational diseases were confirmed, including 168 cases of silicosis, 27 cases of contact dermatitis, 143 cases of compressed air illness and 13 episodes of gas poisoning affecting a total of 25 workers.
There were 104 793 occupational injuries reported in 1987 and of these, 97 281 non-fatal and 228 fatal cases were processed under the Employees' Compensation Ordinance,
In 1987, Nursing Officers II of the division, apart from performing duties related to medical assessment boards, started to conduct visits to factories and industrial undertakings for occupational health promotion and education. During these visits discussions were made with employers and employees on the common occupational diseases and their preventive measures.
Health Education
The Central Health Education Unit delivers health education at different levels. On the level of direct service, the unit organises campaigns, projects and various day-to-day activities like the 24-hour telephone information service.
On the promotion and supportive level, health education materials like leaflets, posters, slides and videos are continually produced for distribution, showing as well as loan-out to voluntary agencies.
On the co-ordination and liaison level, the unit is represented in many inter-departmental committees and working groups for the implementation of various health education programmes.
During the year, the unit was actively involved in a number of campaigns, including AIDS education and publicity campaign, home safety campaign and organ donation campaign.
The major health education activity was an exhibition to promote the proper use of medicine and to introduce the medical and health services. It was organised in October at Shatin Town Hall and attracted a large audience.
The 6th and 7th courses of the popular Young Health Leaders Training Project were conducted during the year, training a total of 236 students from secondary schools in health as well as leadership skills.
Other activities for youths included anti-smoking, adolescent health and sex education workshops at the audio-visual centres. An increasing number of persons also visited the centres to obtain information on various health topics.
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