Sessional_Paper_1896 — Page 934

[ LIX ]

(Sanitary Superintendent to Colonial Secretary.)

SANITARY BOARD ROOM,

SIR,

HONGKONG, 8th April, 1895.

In reply to your letter No. 659 of the 4th instant, I have to inform you that I inspected the Tung Wa Hospital on the afternoon of the 6th instant.

I think it desirable to point out that the terms of your letter are very wide, inas- much as they include the site on which the Hospital stands, the surroundings of the site, the extent and nature of the hospital buildings, the administrative offices, the arrangement of the wards, the furnishing of the wards, the medical attendance, the nursing staff, etc., etc., etc. However, I apprehend that what His Excellency wishes me more particularly to report on are-

(a) The general cleanliness of the Hospital.

(b) The lighting and ventilation of the wards.

(c) The drainage arrangements of the building.

(d) The nature of the conservancy arrangements for both patients and staff. (e) Any remarks I may consider it desirable to make that have a direct bearing on the sanitary state of the building and its inmates. And it is on these lines that I submit my report.

(a) With regard to general cleanliness, whether inside or outside the hospital buildings, every place bore the mark of being well looked after and at the time of my visit there was nothing that any reasonable person could take exception to.

(b) One or two of the wards on the ground floor are rather indifferently lighted. However, the day of my visit was rather cloudy and probably on a clear bright day the lighting is ample. Be that as it may, I am satisfied that during a third of the year these same wards are cooler and more comfortable than most of the other wards. All the wards have ample means for ventilation. In two of the wards for women there was a distinct unpleasant smell perceptible, but this was not due, to my mind, to the want of ventilation but to the defective manner in which the conservancy of the wards was attended to that day and probably to some extent to the nature of some of the dressings.

(c) So far as one can judge from surface appearances the drainage arrange- ments of the Hospital are defective. However, I did not observe any where that there was direct communication between these ap- parently defective drains and the wards or, in fact, any of the buildings. At the same time, these drains should be opened and examined and instead of waiting till the Assistant Surveyor reaches the Hospital in his routine general inspection of the drains in Victoria, it is desirable the inspection should be made at once. A far better plan would be for the Directors of the Hospital to call on their engineer to examine the drains of the Hospital, and if they are found defective instruct him to re-drain the whole of the buildings. I am inclined to think that if the Registrar General pointed out to the Directors the advantage of such a method of procedure the work would be promptly done.

(d) The conservancy arrangements for the patients are rather primitive and, unless properly carried out, the air in the wards must necessarily