Sessional_Paper_1896 — Page 939

[ LXIV]

This book has to be made up by 8 a.m. and handed to the Directors to examine and verify.

24. Chart for each in-patient giving usual particulars with prescriptions used.

25. Record of out-patients seen by each Doctor, giving name, disease, and

medicine supplied.

26. Record of coffins with bodies received for deposit in Mortuary and burial, showing name, age, native district, residence in Hongkong, where buried and number of stone.

27. Record of particulars in connection with the Cemetery.

(3) All the above records appear to be kept properly.

(4) We inspected the buildings and found them in very good order: the wards are airy and well-ventilated, and most of them have abundance of light and fire-places, but we recommend that the old small-pox ward should no longer be used for patients and that new wards be erected on the site, if necessary, or that the present dispensary be converted into wards and some other building be erected or converted in its place.

(5) As regards the admission of patients, we found the practice to be as follows:-

Out-patients are daily admitted into a room set aside for that purpose, and attended to by one, two, or more of the Doctors of the Hospital. A pre- scription is given to each patient to get his medicine where he likes, but in some cases medicine is given by the Hospital free of charge. Each Doctor keeps a record of the cases he has seen in a small book, giving the name of each patient and his ailment, but not the prescription. Out-patients are seen in the morning only, from about 7.30 to 9 and then again from 11 to 12.

In-patients are admitted at all times of the day. When a patient comes in, he is received by the porter, and waits his turn on a bench in the yard. He is then con- ducted into a small hall adjoining the office to have his name and address recorded by a clerk, and after this, he is requested to draw by lot the name of the Doctor who should attend him. This done, he is taken into the new ward (which is really the old lunatic ward converted into a reception ward) to await the inspection of the Colonial Surgeon. After inspection, he is then put into one of the eight wards of the Hospital and treated medically in Chinese fashion, and should he not improve in health after three or four days, he is at liberty to apply to have his Doctor changed.

We have the honour to be,

The Chairman,

Tung Wa Hospital Commission.

Sir,

Your obedient Servants,

A. M. THOMSON.

HO KAI.