X1000307-1957-58_Part01 — Page 38

and convalescent unit for the Kowloon Hospital and by the use of out- patient clinics.

320. As on Hong Kong Island, Kowloon Hospital is the only casualty centre which has the facilities to accept traumatic cases and the acute surgical emergencies. In addition there is a large and very busy Out- Patient Department adjacent to the Hospital.

321. General medical. surgical and obstetricals and gynaecological services are provided and staffed by doctors who are specialists or have specialist qualifications. There are three surgical teams each consisting of one surgeon and one house officer and three medical units staffed by three physicians assisted by two house officers. Radiodiagnostic, clinical pathology, physiotherapy and occupational therapy services are provided for both in-patients and out-patients.

322. This is undoubtedly the busiest hospital in the Colony. There were 10,460 admissions during the year, an increase of 554 admissions over 1956. The total of new cases treated at the out-patient clinics was 316,582 and total attendances amounted to 547,026,

Lai Chi Kok Hospital

323. Formerly a prison camp in two sections and at two levels, these buildings have been converted to hospital use. The upper hospital of 180 beds is used as an overflow for Kowloon Hospital and as a convalescent unit for both the Queen Mary and Kowloon Hospitals. The lower section of 296 beds and cots has accommodation for seventy six beds and eighteen cots for cases of infectious disease and 202 beds for the treatment of tuberculosis. There is a full time occupational therapist on the staff and a physiotherapy service is now also provided on a full time basis. The Red Cross School, maintained for children from all sections of the hospital, is doing very valuable work amongst long term patients, particularly those receiving orthopaedic treatment for tubercular disease. The school has its own Boy Scout Troop, which meets in the children's ward in the upper hospital.

324. A total of 1,606 cases was admitted during the year, of which 1,109 were suffering from infectious disease, and 337 from tuberculosis and 150 were convalescent or sub-acute general cases. The distribution of beds for the receipt of general and tuberculosis cases from the two acute hospitals is:

Queen Mary Hospital (53)

Surgical 17

Medical

Orthopaedie

Gynaecological

6

40

Kowloon (117) ..

80

20

14

62

325. The diphtheria epidemic threw a great strain on the Infectious Diseases portion of the Hospital. 637 cases were treated; of these 27! required tracheotomy, having been brought to clinics late in a disease which was also undoubtedly more virulent than in previous years. The mortality was 13-6%. Typhoid fever accounted for 154 cases with a case mortality of 3.2%. the lowest on record. Broncho-pneumonia following measles accounted for 26-7% mortality in 101 cases of complicated measles admitted. Again delay in attending for treatment accounted for the majority of the deaths as the children were often moribund on admission. There were sixty nine cases of tetanus of whom twenty seven were under one year of age; the mortality rate of all tetanus cases was 59-4%. Tuberculosis, meningitis, meningococcal meningitis, encephalitis, poliomyelitis, bacillary and amoebic dysentery accounted for the remainder of the cases.

326. Cases of pulmonary tuberculosis under treatment, including cases remaining in hospital from the previous year, totalled 540. Only minor surgical procedures were carried out in Lai Chi Kok. They were limited to artificial pneumothorax, pneumo-peritoneum and phrenic crush in a total of thirty selected patients. 449 refills were carried oul,

Tsun Yuk Maternity Hospital

327. This is the main specialist maternity bospital in the Colony and is maintained by Government. The Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology of the University undertakes responsibility for the clinical work in the wards assisted by medical staff of the University unit. This is also the main teaching hospital in obstetrics for medical students and the main training centre for midwives. The Medical Superintendent. resident House Officers and the nursing and administrative staff are provided by Government. The Professor, three lecturers and two clinical assistants constitute the Hong Kong University staff.

328. There is a total of 200 beds and there were 12,160 admissions during the year. At the out-patients' clinics 68,629 attendances were recorded, of which 19,476 were new cases. There were 9,850 live births, 117 still births and 224 neo-natal deaths in the hospital; 10-1% of the total births in the Colony took place in Tsan Yuk.

329. Of the 10,865 maternity cases admitted 97-4% were booked cases. Of the 9,606 deliveries only 249 were from unbooked cases. The still birth rate was 1.17% and the neo-natal death rate 2-10%. The maternal mortality rate was 1-01 per 1,000 live and still births.

63