PUBLIC HEALTH
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improve the standard of health and hygiene in the community. Regular inspections are made of more than 5,000 premises licensed for the preparation or sale of food, and of more than 100,000 floors to check on domestic cleanliness. Advantage is taken, whenever occasion permits, of giving advice on personal and food hygiene. Over 1,300 food samples were taken for bacteriological or chemical analysis. More than 75,000 public health nuisances were dealt with, and over 33,000 lbs. of unwholesome foodstuff were seized, or voluntari- ly surrendered, and destroyed.
Two new public bath-houses were erected, making a total of twelve in the urban district. They have a daily attendance, for which no charge is made, of over 4,000 people of both sexes. The provision of additional bath-houses and public latrines is proceeding under a five-year programme.
To improve the conditions under which food is sold from cooked-food stalls, and to reduce the incidence of intestinal diseases, a competition is held between the 999 licensed stalls in the various districts in the urban area. The winners are presented with an inscribed plaque, which may be retained for a period of 6 months. Points are awarded for various aspects of cleanliness and the competitions are judged on the basis of periodic inspections by the health staff. The stall- holders in the respective districts are keen to win, and an encouragingly high standard of cleanliness has been attained.
One new retail market was constructed, in Tung Tau Resettlement Area, bringing the total provision in all markets to 2,288 stalls.
The retailing of fresh meat, fresh fish and poultry is restricted to public markets, or to foodshops, operating under special licence. Only fresh meat from animals slaughtered in government abattoirs is permitted to be sold in markets and foodshops. Imported meat may be sold under special permit.
714,961 pigs, 76,006 cattle, and 10,319 sheep and goats were slaughtered in the abattoirs and marketed. Retail prices of meat fluctuated between $3 and $4.10 per catty for pork, and between $2.80 and $4 per catty for beef. Approx. 680 tons of moribund or diseased animals were condemned at the abattoirs.
A by-products plant, installed at Kennedy Town Slaughterhouse in September 1954, operated during the year
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