ENG-1957 — Page 173

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HONG KONG ANNUAL REPORT

registered doctors, where the charges are no higher than in the clinics with unregistered doctors, and the aim must be to see that in due course all such clinics are staffed by doctors with a recognized qualification.

In order to allow time for the clinics to obtain the services of registered doctors the Bill was amended on the second reading to provide that clause 27 should come into operation at a later date, at the Governor's discretion, while negotia- tions were opened with an examining body in the United Kingdom, in the hope that it may be possible to arrange for an examination for a registrable_qualification to be held in the Colony. This would give the unregistered doctors the chance to prove their worth. Over 500 of these doctors have already registered as being interested in taking this examin- ation, and it is hoped that the negotiations may soon be brought to a successful conclusion.

In September 1957 Hong Kong acted as host for the first time to delegates from 14 countries belonging to the Western Pacific Region of the World Health Organization who attended the 8th Session of the Regional Committee. The meeting, held at the Grantham Training College from 5th to 12th September, was opened by the Governor, and Dr. G. Graham-Cumming, Acting Director of Medical and Health Services and the leader of the United Kingdom delegation, was elected Chairman. Observers from other United Nations agencies and a number of other affiliated organizations also attended.

GENERAL HEALTH

The population of the Colony continues to increase and gross overcrowding persists in spite of several large scale housing developments which were completed during the year. Industrial expansion is also proceeding at a rapid rate.

There was no case of any of the six quarantinable diseases recorded during the year; this is the fifth successive year in which Hong Kong has been free from these diseases.