X1000307-1955-56_Part01 — Page 23

Central Surgical

Supply Service, Queen Mary

Hospital,

Radiocobalt Telecurk| Therapy Unit, (Cobalt "Bunch" wait), Queen Mary Hospital.

patients continued in the 10 ophthalmic beds available: each bed averaging 30.6 patients per annum.

104. Sight-testing services could not be further extended to the general public due to lack of personnel. Two sight- testing opticians however refracted school children in two of the school clinics, and three school medical officers were trained as refractionists. The issue of spectacles remained constant at 2,990 per annum.

Dental Service.

105. The Dental Sub-department is organized into two distinct branches providing-

(a) The General Dental Service,

and (b) The School Dental Service.

106. The General Dental Service is responsible for the treatment of monthly paid Government officers and their families, a commitment which brings an estimated total of over 70,000 persons within this service. This figure will rise with the transfer of large numbers of former daily paid workers on to monthly paid rates. Nine dental officers, one of whom is employed on a temporary basis, were available by the end of the year to operate this service, giving a ratio of 1 dental officer to 8,000 people. This figure should be compared with a ratin in Britain of 1 dental surgeon to 2,300 people; in New Zealand of 1 to 2,600 and in the United States of America of 1 to 1,800. It was inevitable that considerable delays were experienced in providing comprehensive treatment for Government officers and their families due to this heavy commitment and to the small numbers of dental officers available. On Hong Kong island urgent treatment was completed and patients were then placed on a waiting list for the later continuation of less urgent treat- ment. The waiting time rarely fell below eleven months. In Kowloon it was found possible to avoid a waiting list but the two dental officers were unable to offer appointments in under two months except in emergency. The demand for dental treatment continues to rise and has far outstripped the present facilities both of staffing and accommodation,

35