1967 — Page 206

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indicative of the close co-operation between the Council and my depart- ment and though we sometimes get at cross purposes and do not always see eye to eye on all things, we shall I am sure continue to work together for the common good. (Applause).

(at the suggestion of the Chairman, a brief recess was held at this point).

DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES: -Mr. Chairman, I must confess that in the early stages of this debate I was rather worried. Mr. Lr Yiu-bor had omitted the Medical and Health Department from his list of "honourable mentions" and Dr. BELL made but a fleeting reference to it; however, later speakers re-assured me that we had not been forgotten. I am able, therefore, to rise today, not to wield an épée, to use the analogy quoted by Mr. SALES, but to put the record straight and explain what is going on.

The basis of most of the criticisms which have been voiced would appear to use to be a lack of forward planning. In early 1964, a White Paper on the "Development of Medical Services in Hong Kong" was tabled in the Legislative Council; this report outlined the aims and aspirations of Government in the provision of such services both directly and also indirectly by giving considerable assistance to a number of voluntary agencies, with whom we work in close co-operation. I should emphasize that these voluntary organizations provide a large proportion of the hospital beds in Hong Kong and that the major part of their recurrent costs is covered by Government subvention.

At the time the report was tabled, there were 2.91 functional hospital beds, excluding isolation accommodation for leprosy patients, for every thousand people in the population; today that figure stands at 3.60 per 1,000 representing a total increase of about 3,400 beds, or over 800 beds a year. At this moment, there are a further 2,900 beds in the process of actual construction either by Government or by Govern- ment-assisted organizations, and which will be commissioned at intervals during the next two years. These figures combined represent an increase of 60% over the total number of functional beds in all hospitals in Hong Kong (Government, Government-aided and private) just under four years ago. I must emphasize at that time the Queen Elizabeth and the new Kwong Wah Hospitals were already completed and are not I repeat not, included in the figures I have quoted for recent develop- ment. Furthermore, in the Government pipe-line alone there are more than 2,400 beds under planning, and by this I mean in various stages of the detailed examinations and drawings required. I do not think there is real appreciation of the amount of work involved in the planning of hospitals, particularly in the dove-tailing of all the engineering services required; for example, the new Lai Chi Kok Hospital will be

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built from over 2,000 sheets of drawings. But, working in close co- operation with the Architectural Office of the Public Works Department, we have been developing ways for a certain amount of standardisation to cut down time taken on planning; we now have standard plans for general clinics, although specialised ones still have to be "custom-built", and we have achieved a certain degree of uniformity in hospital design ---for example, the plans for the ward block in the Lai Chi Kok Hospital are being used for the new convalescent block now under construction at Kowloon Hospital.

But buildings without the necessary staff are of course useless and it is here that we are experiencing difficulties. Renovation of facilities for training of nurses at the Queen Mary Hospital has just been com- pleted while the training of auxiliary nursing personnel to undertake the more routine and less specialized duties involved in patient care is going ahead satisfactorily. The training of many of the other profes- sions needed in maintaining the services is also proceeding well. But as you all know the position in respect of doctors is causing concern apart from certain recent developments which have been recorded in the press, all efforts are being made to increase recruitment and certain suggestions have been submitted to Government to attract and retain the increasing number of doctors who are graduating from the Uni- versity of Hong Kong. Referring to Dr. HUANG's proposal to establish a Faculty of Medicine in the Chinese University of Hong Kong, a preliminary statement on the subject, mentioning some of the difficulties and problems, has been made recently by an office-bearer of that founda- tion. I need not enlarge further.

Turning to the field of preventive work results of prolonged immunization campaigns are now showing encouraging results. Only 5 cases of poliomyelitis have been recorded so far this year as opposed to 32 last year and 140 in 1965; the number of children suffering from diphtheria is lower than at any time since 1949; whooping cough is declining rapidly; and tuberculosis is no longer a major menace in childhood. The campaign against measles opens next week. But typhoid and the dysenteries continue at much the same level as in previous years and, although the mortality from such diseases remains very low, there is a continual toll of suffering. Three weeks ago a number of members voiced their concern over the problem of hawkers; I share that concern as our investigations, particularly of cases of typhoid, give a strong hint that uncontrolled hawkers of food play a part in the dissemination of the infection, particularly in resettlement estates and in the vicinity of schools.

The interest that members take in this problem was shown three weeks ago by the various suggestions which were made. Mr. Lo men- tioned the need to provide more comprehensive eating facilities in