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88
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
The specific education of groups of individuals requires more hard work in the preparation of material and in the actual work of teaching. As Members will appreciate, if people can be taught the principles underlying rules and by-laws they are much more likely to obey them. We are trying to do this in two ways.
A Health Inspector returned during the year from training in America and has since been devoting his time to the preparation of the food hygiene courses for catering workers of which the first has just been successfully completed. In these courses it is hoped to instil into those who handle our food an understanding of the principles of food hygiene so that they may practice it more effectively.
Furthermore, during the past year we have tried to impress upon the health staff the fact that every prosecution must be regarded as a failure of health education. They are being encouraged to take more positive steps wherever possible to teach licensees what they should do and thus to avoid large numbers of prosecutions. I believe that we are making progress in this but health education will always be a relatively slow process, and it seems that there will always be those who are unwilling to learn and who must be disciplined for the sake of the general public.
My friend Dr. P. F. Woo referred to the important question of nutrition and the relative values of foodstuffs. This is not a matter to which the Health Education Unit of this department normally devotes much attention and it is one of the aspects of public health which is taught by Health Visitors to mothers who attend Government maternal and child health centres. I am sure that the Medical and Health Department would welcome a visit from Dr. Woo or any other Member of the Health Education Select Committee to a maternal and child health centre where nutrition is being taught and I am equally sure that the department would welcome his advice as the Chairman of the Select Committee on this important aspect of health education.
This brings me to the question of Staff Training which the Honourable F. S. Li mentioned. Members are aware that provision was made in this year's estimates for a Training Officer with the rank of Chief Health Inspector. Recruitment is under way and it is hoped to find a really capable man, possibly from overseas. When he arrives he will first have to devote himself to preparing for the instruction of Health Inspectors whose training period is to be extended from one year to three. Thus we hope to produce an even better class of officer than at present. When he has done this it is fully intended that he should organize refresher courses for existing staff to help them keep up to date with modern knowledge, both theoretical and practical.
89
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
The question of the adequacy of medical and health services generally was raised by my friends Mrs. Elliott and Dr. P. F. Woo. On these matters I would refer Members to the reply given by the Honourable Director of Medical and Health Services in the recent budget debate in the Legislative Council. Mrs. Elliott referred particularly to the problem of tuberculosis and I would assure Members that this question is receiving special attention at the moment.
In conclusion I should like to express my appreciation of all the hard work and assistance in many practical ways given by Members during the past year as well as for their constructive criticisms and advice which help us all to keep on our toes. I hope that we shall continue to receive this support in the year that lies ahead.
Sir, I support the motion before Council.
CHAIRMAN: --Ladies and Gentlemen, even though my Official colleagues have materially assisted me by their replies, it would clearly be impossible for me to cover in detail, within the space of time available to me, all the interesting points raised by Members that are still outstanding. I will therefore begin by saying briefly that the observations made by Members on subjects which lie outside the province of this Council have been brought to the notice of the Colonial Secretary. That leaves me free to speak on matters on which I may be held, in some measure, qualified to speak.
But before I do, first a few words about aim number 25 in the Summary of Aims at the end of our Statement of Progress and Policy this year. This aim speaks of making recommendations to Government that there be a gradual enlargement of this Council's scope and for its representation on various other public bodies. Now with regard to the first part, the enlargement of the scope of this Council, it seems to me that this is happening all the time. Last year, as Dr. Woo pointed out, we had the City Hall handed over to us to manage, with its varied activities. We have been given multi-storey car parks to manage, and their number will increase. We are to be given the management of open air car parks. We may shortly be given public library services to operate, as Mr. Li Yiu-bor wishes. There is a large incinerator on the horizon and two large modern abattoirs for us to run, and behind these projects I can see enormous refuse disposal plants for Kowloon. We may possibly find ourselves in the composting business, with attendant marketing problems. All the while our management responsibilities for amenities such as parks, playgrounds and swimming pools will be growing, together with our responsibilities for multi-purpose markets. The population of the Resettlement estates which we control will be growing by 100,000 a year from now on, and we are already past the half million settlers mark. Surely all this is enough. If enlargement of the scope of this Council means that we accept cheerfully the burdens
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Page 52 of 194
88
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
The specific education of groups of individuals requires more hard work in the preparation of material and in the actual work of teaching. As Members will appreciate, if people can be taught the principles underlying rules and by-laws they are much more likely to obey them. We are trying to do this in two ways.
A Health Inspector returned during the year from training in America and has since been devoting his time to the preparation of the food hygiene courses for catering workers of which the first has just been successfully completed. In these courses it is hoped to instil into those who handle our food an understanding of the principles of food hygiene so that they may practice it more effectively.
Furthermore, during the past year we have tried to impress upon the health staff the fact that every prosecution must be regarded as a failure of health education. They are being encouraged to take more positive steps wherever possible to teach licensees what they should do and thus to avoid large numbers of prosecutions. I believe that we are making progress in this but health education will always be a relatively slow process, and it seems that there will always be those who are unwilling to learn and who must be disciplined for the sake of the general public.
My friend Dr. P. F. Woo referred to the important question of nutrition and the relative values of foodstuffs. This is not a matter to which the Health Education Unit of this department normally devotes much attention and it is one of the aspects of public health which is taught by Health Visitors to mothers who attend Government maternal and child health centres. I am sure that the Medical and Health Department would welcome a visit from Dr. Woo or any other Member of the Health Education Select Committee to a maternal and child health centre where nutrition is being taught and I am equally sure that the department would welcome his advice as the Chairman of the Select Committee on this important aspect of health education.
This brings me to the question of Staff Training which the Honourable F. S. LI mentioned. Members are aware that provision was made in this year's estimates for a Training Officer with the rank of Chief Health Inspector. Recruitment is under way and it is hoped to find a really capable man, possibly from overseas. When he arrives he will first have to devote himself to preparing for the instruction of Health Inspectors whose training period is to be extended from one year to three. Thus we hope to produce an even better class of officer than at present. When he has done this it is fully intended that he should organize refresher courses for existing staff to help them keep up to date with modern knowledge, both theoretical and practical.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
89
The question of the adequacy of medical and health services generally was raised by my friends Mrs. ELLIOTT and Dr. P. F. Woo. On these matters I would refer Members to the reply given by the Honourable Director of Medical and Health Services in the recent budget debate in the Legislative Council. Mrs. ELLIOTT referred particu- larly to the problem of tuberculosis and I would assure Members that this question is receiving special attention at the moment.
In conclusion I should like to express my appreciation of all the hard work and assistance in many practical ways given by Members during the past year as well as for their constructive criticisms and advice which help us all to keep on our toes. I hope that we shall continue to receive this support in the year that lies ahead.
Sir, I support the motion before Council.
CHAIRMAN: --Ladies and Gentlemen, even though my Official col- leagues have materially assisted me by their replies, it would clearly be impossible for me to cover in detail, within the space of time avail- able to me, all the interesting points raised by Members that are still outstanding. I will therefore begin by saying briefly that the observa- tions made by Members on subjects which lie outside the province of this Council have been brought to the notice of the Colonial Secretary. That leaves me free to speak on matters on which I may be held, in some measure, qualified to speak.
But before I do, first a few words about aim number 25 in the Summary of Aims at the end of our Statement of Progress and Policy this year. This aim speaks of making recommendations to Government that there be a gradual enlargement of this Council's scope and for its representation on various other public bodies. Now with regard to the first part, the enlargement of the scope of this Council, it seems to me that this is happening all the time. Last year, as Dr. Woo pointed out, we had the City Hall handed over to us to manage, with its varied activities. We have been given multi-storey car parks to manage, and their number will increase. We are to be given the management of open air car parks. We may shortly be given public library services to operate, as Mr. Li Yiu-bor wishes. There is a large incinerator on the horizon and two large modern abattoirs for us to run, and behind these projects I can see enormous refuse disposal plants for Kowloon. We may possibly find ourselves in the composting business, with atten- dant marketing problems. All the while our management responsibili- ties for amenities such as parks, playgrounds and swimming pools will be growing, together with our responsibilities for multi-purpose markets. The population of the Resettlement estates which we control will be growing by 100,000 a year from now on, and we are already past the half million settlers mark. Surely all this is enough. If enlargement of the scope of this Council means that we accept cheerfully the burdens
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