provide the medical staff and clinical care for 251 beds; the major Gavernment clinical units of medicine, surgery and radiology have at their disposal 180 beds staffed by Government Specialists. A limited number of beds is available for orthopaedic surgery, chest surgery, neurosurgery, ophthalmology, radiotherapy, midwifery and otorhinolaryngology. Physiotherapy and occupational therapy units are also established in the main building. The administration of the hospital is the responsibility of a Medical Superintendent of Senior Medical Officer rank and nursing care is provided entirely by the Government Nursing Service. The Queen Mary Hospital is the main Government centre for the training of nurses and contains the Government Nurses' Preliminary Training School.
300. The number of in-patients treated rose from 13,725 to 14,969, an increase of 1.244. mainly accounted for by admissions to general wards.
301. There is no out-patient department at the hospital and admis- sions are made through the Government out-patient clinics on Hong Kong Island. The Casualty Department is, however, the only casualty. centre for the whole of the Island, and traumatic and other emergency cases are admitted direct to the wards from Casualty. A fracture clinic, under the supervision of the University Consultant in orthopaedics continues to provide an extremely valuable special service which has reduced considerably admissions to the limited number of beds available for traumatic cases.
302. The neurosurgical unit formed in 1956 maintained its high standard in the treatment of acute head injuries. As a result there has been a significant decrease in the number of deaths from this cause.
303. Specialist clinics are maintained for peptic ulcer, thyroid and cardio-respiratory cases. The cardio-respiratory clinic is supported by the Lewis Laboratory and the Cardio-Respiratory Committee, which is composed of physicians, surgeons, radiologists and anaesthetists, met regularly throughout the year. Out-patient clinics are held twice weekly at the Violet Peel Polyclinic in Wan Chai by the Government Specialist staff of the Hospital.
304. During the year Government approved in principle extensions to the Queen Mary Hospital which will increase the bed accommodation to 800. At the same time urgently needed additional accommodation for the teaching of medical students, for radiology and radio-therapy, physiotherapy, occupational therapy and central sterilization will be
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provided. The additional accommodation for beds will allow of a re- allocation of wards to ensure that there is adequate provision for paediatric cases.
Kowloon Hospital
305. This is the only large acute hospital serving Kowloon and the New Territories and the total complement of 311 beds is quite insufficient to meet the needs of the rapidly expanding population. During the year work was begun on the working drawings for an additional 36-bed maternity ward and a new theatre and ward block with 60 additional surgical beds. Some relief has been afforded by the extended use of the Lai Chi Kok Hospital as a convalescent unit.
306. As on Hong Kong Island. Kowloon Hospital is the main casualty centre which accepts traumatic cases and the acute surgical emergencies. In addition there is a large and very busy out-patient department adjacent to the Hospital.
307. General medical, surgical, orthopaedic and obstetrical and gynaecological services are provided and staffed by doctors who are specialists or have specialist qualifications. Radiodiagnostic, clinical pathology and physiotherapy services are provided for both in-patients and out-patients.
308. This is undoubtedly the busiest hospital in the Colony. There were 13.918 admissions during the year, an increase of 3,458 admissions over 1957. The total of new cases treated at the out-patient clinics was 283,309 and total attendances amounted to 558,010.
Lai Chi Kok Hospital
309. 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 entirely as a convalescent unit for both the Queen Mary and Kowloon Hospitals. The lower section of 293 beds and cots has accommodation for 144 cases of infectious disease while 88 beds are reserved for tuberculosis and 61 beds for convalescent cases from Kowloon Hospital. There is an occupational therapist on the staff and a physiotherapy service is 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 child patients, partic- ularly those receiving orthopaedic treatment for tubercular disease. The school has its own Boy Scout Troop, which meets in the children's ward in the lower hospital.
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