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Hospital Secretary and his staff maintain a close liaison with the hospi- tal staff associations.

476. There are two Group Hospital Secretaries, one in Hong Kong at the Queen Mary Hospital and one at the Kowloon Hospital. In the Hong Kong Group of Hospitals and Clinics there are Assistant Hospital Secretaries, who are Executive Officers Grade II, at the Queen Mary Hospital, at the Mental Hospital and at the Sai Ying Pun Clinic and Infectious Diseases Hospital. In Kowloon there are two Assistant Hospi- tal Secretaries, one at the Kowloon Hospital and one at the Lai Chi Kok Hospital. The Kowloon Hospitals Group includes the New Territories" institutions, with the exception of the uncompleted Castle Peak Mental Hospital which, for administrative purposes, is treated as part of the old Mental Hospital in Victoria.

477. The complexities of modern hospital administration are such that it is essential to have an adequate staff of officers trained and qualified as Hospital Administrators. There is as yet no formal system of training which will give the experience and teaching necessary for admission to the examinations for the Diploma of Hospital Adminis- trators. Pending the report of the Salaries Commission appointed carly in 1959, further consideration of this aspect has been held in abeyance. One qualified Hospital Secretary arrived on transfer from another Colony to fill a long-standing vacancy, but this has been the only augmentation of the working establishment for a period of over two years. Planning

478. Work in connexion with planning, schedules of accommodation and the supply of equipment has been carried out in connexion with twenty-two new projects including the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, the Castle Peak Mental Hospital, major extensions to the Queen Mary Hospital and five major clinics. Some of this work has been of a con- tinuing nature, on projects which will take some years to complete but it is nonetheless time consuming, as new problems always arise during the various stages of construction.

479. The Queen Mary Hospital has been completely re-wired, during the process of re-decorating the whole hospital. A new bed lift was installed and another is in the process of replacement,

480. Advice was also given by the Chief Hospital Secretary in con- nexion with the planning and equipment of hospitals and clinics under construction by voluntary and missionary bodies which have asked for assistance.

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UNICEF. Projects

481. The Chief Hospital Secretary is the Honorary Area Representa- tive of U.N.I.C.E.F. in connexion with the Milk Feeding Programme and the Maternal and Child Health Project. The latter has now been merged into the Maternal and Child Health Services of the Department but the Milk Feeding Scheme has been extended and one new centre was opened at Sck Kong. During the year 229,986 lb. of skimmed milk solids was received from U.N.I.C.E.F. as against 155,034 lb. the previous year. Altogether 1,464,080 supplementary meals were distributed from Feeding Centres as compared to 1,168,110 in 1957. During the year, a Fourth Addendum to the original Milk Feeding Agreement has been signed which provides for the supply of a further 330,000 lb. of Skim Milk to Hong Kong. The milk is supplied free and UNICEF. pays the freight from the United States of America to Hong Kong. The internal services connected with distribution in Hong Kong represent Government's matching contribution.

Staff Welfare

482. There is a wide range of activities maintained by the staff associations and clubs within the Department. These activities have included the production of a play in support of a health education project, the provision of schooling for children, aid to pensioners, the relief of families in distress through illness or the death of a breadwinner, Chinese chess, football and table tennis competitions and social gather- ings and outings. During the year plans were completed for the building of a recreational centre at Kowloon Hospital; this will be a very welcome addition to the welfare services.

483. It is gratifying to record that, mainly as a result of these welfare activities, staff relations within the Department have been very good and that there have been few cases of indiscipline in relation to the number of staff employed.

AUXILIARY MEDICAL SERVICE

484. The role of the Auxiliary Medical Service, established under the provisions of the Essential Services Corps Ordinance, is to augment the Government medical services during an emergency. The aim is to duplicate the Medical Department staff engaged in the task of dealing with a greatly enhanced intake of acute cases to the established and emergency hospitals. In addition the Auxiliary Medical Service provides a cadre of stretcher bearers, trained in first-aid, to man the ambulance teams which are attached to the Civil Aid Services rescue organization

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