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CHAIRMAN: - Mr. Hu, it will be apparent from the unsatisfactory or incomplete answers which the Official Members have given to these questions, that the questions are being asked on a subject which is not within our competence.
MR. SALES: May I suggest, Sir, that this matter be referred to the Resettlement Policy Select Committee because the School Medical Service, insofar as it touches upon the lives of the children of our Estates, concerns the Urban Council. The Resettlement Policy Select Committee should be in a position to advise Government whether this scheme would be attractive to the people in the Resettlement Estates and, if not attractive, how it could be made attractive and within the means of the people there.
CHAIRMAN: - Dr. BELL is in sole charge of the agenda items for the Resettlement Policy Select Committee.
DR. BELL: - Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. As Chairman of the Resettlement Policy Select Committee, I would be very happy for this question to be referred and also happy if at the same time the Medical and Health Department could be represented at the meeting.
(9) DR. A. M. S. BELL asked the following question:-
Can the Commissioner for Resettlement please state:
(a) How many tuberculosis cases are known to live in resettlement estates?
(b) How many new cases of tuberculosis are notified each year from the estates?
(c) Are the numbers in (a) and (b) greater in the older estates than in the new estates?
(d) How do these numbers compare with the numbers for the rest of the urban areas?
THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES replied as follows:
1. I regret that it has not been possible to furnish exact figures in answer to the first part of the question, but figures based on an analysis of attendances at all Government Chest Clinics for the year 1966, indicate that there were 4,791 known cases of tuberculosis in resettlement estates under treatment during that year.
2. As regards the second part of the question; out of a Colony total of 11,427 new cases of tuberculosis notified in 1966, 1,930 came from resettlement estates. That is, 16.89% of all new tuberculosis cases occurred in the resettlement estate population—which, of course, comprises well over 20% of the Colony's population. It follows therefore that 83.11% of the new cases arose among persons housed elsewhere than in resettlement estates.
3. There is at present no significant difference to be found when comparing the incidence of tuberculosis in the older and newer estates. The average incidence for all estates is 241 cases per 100,000 persons, i.e. 1 person in about every 400; in estates with Mark I blocks only the incidence is 249 per 100,000 persons, and in estates with Mark III blocks only it is 282 per 100,000; on the other hand, among the 6 estates with Mark IV accommodation (but not exclusively so) 2 show an incidence well above the average for all estates, and 4 well below this average. I have comparative figures for 1966 of the notifications of tuberculosis cases pertaining to each resettlement estate together with the incidence rates of the disease in each estate and these I would be pleased to circulate to Members if they so wish.
4. The answer to the last part of the question reveals an interesting, and perhaps unexpected, state of affairs in that the incidence rate of tuberculosis in the rest of the Colony and in the urban areas apart from resettlement estates is a good deal higher than in resettlement estates. The rate for the whole Colony in 1966 was 308.07 per 100,000 persons, and for the urban areas of Hong Kong, Kowloon and New Kowloon, 303.37 per 100,000 persons; this compares with the rate of 241 in resettlement estates which I have just mentioned.
DR. BELL: Mr. Chairman, may I thank the Deputy Director of Medical and Health Services for his very good reply on this, and could I just ask one question? Are there mass mini-X-ray services taking place in the Resettlement Estates?
DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES: - They have taken place before. There has been only about 60% acceptance of these. We cannot make them compulsory in any way.
DR. BELL: - Are they still taking place, I know they took place before. I mean do you do them at regular intervals?
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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
CHAIRMAN: -Mr. Hu, it will be apparent from the unsatisfactory or incomplete answers which the Official Members have given to these questions, that the questions are being asked on a subject which is not within our competence.
MR. SALES: May I suggest, Sir, that this matter be referred to the Resettlement Policy Select Committee because the School Medical Service, insofar as it touches upon the lives of the children of our Estates, concerns the Urban Council. The Resettlement Policy Select Committee should be in a position to advise Government whether this scheme would be attractive to the people in the Resettlement Estates and, if not attractive, how it could be made attractive and within the means of the people there.
CHAIRMAN:-Dr. BELL is in sole charge of the agenda items for the Resettlement Policy Select Committee.
DR. BELL:-Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. As Chairman of the Resettlement Policy Select Committee, I would be very happy for this question to be referred and also happy if at the same time the Medical and Health Department could be represented at the meeting.
(9) DR. A. M. S. BELL asked the following question:-
Can the Commissioner for Resettlement please state:
(a) How many tuberculosis cases are known to live in
resettlement estates?
(b) How many new cases of tuberculosis are notified each
year from the estates?
(c) Are the numbers in (a) and (b) greater in the older
estates than in the new estates?
(d) How do these numbers compare with the numbers
for the rest of the urban areas?
THE DEPUTY Director of MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES replied as follows:
1.
I regret that it has not been possible to furnish exact figures in answer to the first part of the question, but, figures based on an analysis of attendances at all Govern- ment Chest Clinics for the year 1966, indicate that there were 4,791 known cases of tuberculoses in resettlement estates under treatment during that year.
2.
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As regards the second part of the question; out of a Colony total of 11,427 new cases of tuberculosis notified in 1966, 1,930 came from resettlement estates. That is, 16.89% of all new tuberculosis cases occurred in the resettlement estate population—which, of course, comprises well over 20% of the Colony's population. It follows therefore that 83.11% of the new cases arose among persons housed elsewhere than in resettlement estates.
3. There is at present no significant difference to be found when comparing the incidence of tuberculosis in the older and newer estates. The average incidence for all estates is 241 cases per 100,000 persons, i.e. 1 person in about every 400; in estates with Mark I blocks only the incidence is 249 per 100,000 persons, and in estates with Mark III blocks only it is 282 per 100,000; on the other hand, among the 6 estates with Mark IV accommodation (but not exclusively so) 2 show an incidence well above the average for all estates, and 4 well below this average. I have comparative figures for 1966 of the notifications of tuberculosis cases pertaining to each resettlement estate together with the incidence rates of the disease in each estate and these I would be pleased to circulate to Members if they so wish.
4.
The answer to the last part of the question reveals an interesting, and perhaps unexpected, state of affairs in that the incidence rate of tuberculosis in the rest of the Colony and in the urban areas apart from resettlement estates is a good deal higher than in resettlement estates. The rate for the whole Colony in 1966 was 308.07 per 100,000 persons, and for the urban areas of Hong Kong, Kowloon and New Kowloon, 303.37 per 100,000 persons; this compares with the rate of 241 in resettlement estates which I have just mentioned.
DR. BELL: Mr. Chairman, may I thank the Deputy Director of Medical and Health Services for his very good reply on this, and could
I just ask one question? Are there mass mini-X-ray services taking place in the Resettlement Estates?
DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES:-They have taken place before. There has been only about 60% acceptance of these, We cannot make them compulsory in any way.
DR. BELL: ----Are they still taking place, I know they took place before. I mean do you do them at regular intervals?
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.