X1000307-1955-56_Part01 — Page 34

161. The transfer of the ophthalmic clinic from the Kowloon Hospital out-patients' department to the premises in Arran Street donated by the Rotary Club enabled the facilities at Kowloon Hospital out-patients' department to be improved by the provision of 2 additional consulting rooms, a dental surgery and a gynaecological clinic.

162. Certain alterations and redecoration have been under- taken at the following institutions:-

(a) Shaukiwan Public Dispensary;

(b) Arran Street Ophthalmic Clinic: (c) Shamshuipo Public Dispensary.

163. Work is proceeding on the detailed planning of the new Kowloon Hospital and also on the new Sai Ying Pun Polyclinic, funds for the latter having generously been donated by the Hong Kong Jockey Club. Progress has also been made on the plans for a new out-patient clinic and Tuberculosis Centre at Shek Kip Mei, funds for the dispensary and general clinic having been provided by the Kai Fong. During the year work also continued on the planning of the new general out-patient clinics and maternity homes at Tai Po and Yuen Long.

VII. VITAL STATISTICS

164. The registration of births and deaths is compulsory under the Births and Deaths Registration Ordinance, the Director of Medical and Health Services being the Registrar of Births and Deaths. A central general registry is situated in the centre of Victoria and a number of district registries are dispersed throughout the Colony for the convenience of the public generally. In certain outlying rural and island areas the local police stations act as local registries and transmit reports to the general registry.

166. During 1955 90,611 births were registered as compared with 88,317 in 1954. Taking the estimated mid-year population

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of 2,340,000, this gives the crude birth rate of 38.7 per thousand of population as compared with the rate in 1954 of 36.6 per thousand.

166. There was a further slight drop in the actual number of infants dying under the age of 1 year, 6,012 deaths of infants having been registered as against 6,028 in 1954, but, because of the large increase in the actual number of births registered the infant mortality rate shows a further reduction to 66.4 per thousand live births as compared with a rate of 72.4 per thousand live births in the previous year, -a very gratifying reduction. As was noted in the report for 1954-55, the number of infant deaths in Hong Kong always approximates one third of the total deaths from all causes. In 1955, the deaths of infants under 1 year of age constituted 31.5% of all deaths from all causes as compared with 31.3% in 1954. This ratio of infant deaths to total mortality has been remarkably consistent for many years—in fact so long as records have been kept.

167. The following table sets out the figures of infant and neo-natal mortality in detail:

TABLE 14

Age Period

1953

1954

1955

-- lay

278

199

224

17 days

795

803

989

1-4 weeks

NTS

1.048

082

4 weeks-3 toalbs

1.015

1.179

1,948

36 months

823

1.112

1.121

879

091

957

745

AVG

691

Total under 1 year

5.560

6,028

5,012

Infant Blurtality rubé maka a

73.6

12.1

66.4

Ya, of deaths under 4 weeks

1.948

2.050

2.095

Xeo-natal Mortality rate an

25.8

34.6

23.4

57

6-9 months

9-13 mouchs