3,006 There
235. During the year 7,540 in-patients were treated as com- pared with 6,285 in the previous year and there were 480 deaths, 264 of these occurring within 24 hours of admission, operations were done as compared with 2,277 in 1950. were 2,210 maternity cases delivered with 2,175 live births dur- ing the year. There were 35 stillbirths and 34 neo-natal deaths giving stillbirth rate of 15.8 per 1,000, and a neo-natal death rate of 15.6 per 1,000.
236. In addition to the building of a new block another important improvement was the extension to the existing Physiotherapy Department, enabling hydrotherapy to be used for anterior poliomyelitis and similar conditions.
237. The large and very busy Out-Patient Department where general and special clinics are held, worked at full pressure throughout the year. The department works in two sessions from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and from 6 p.m. to midnight. The day session is attended to by 10 doctors and the evening session by 4 doctors. Plans have been made for considerable structural improvements in this department which will lead to improved conditions for the patients and will also supply a much needed large casualty department in this block.
238. There has been a great increase in the number seen in the Out-Patient Department; 488,406 new cases were dealt with as compared with 284,280 in 1950 and 94,000 in 1949. The total number of attendances throughout the year reached the figure of 568,739,
239. It says much for the administration of the hospital that the organization and direction of these vast crowds was carried out day after day quite smoothly, and much of the credit for this must go to the Almoner's Department.
240. No less credit is due to those doctors who made no serious mistakes while working at high speed for long hours in the out-patient department with the ever present fear that they might miss some serious condition.
116
MENTAL HOSPITAL
241. The Mental Hospital is an old building, and is now not only inadequate in size, but ill-adapted to modern methods of treating mental patients, and plans have been approved for replacing it during the next five years building programme. This hospital has official accommodation for 140 patients, but the daily average number of patients in recent years has been as follows:
1948
1949
1950
1951
95
119
156
201
242. Owing to the difficulties in ingress and egress existing between Hong Kong and China, there is a greater tendency than was the case in previous years for familles to send their mentally afflicted relatives to the Mental Hospital rather than back to the native village. This change is shown, in part, by the increase in cases of senile dementia now being admitted to the hospital.
243. Rattan work, needlework and a library, provide the patients with some diversional therapy.
244. The following statistics cover the year 1951:
Remaining in from the previous year
1st admissions
Re-admission
Total Treated
117
163
550
222
935
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