ENG-1959 — Page 160

Chapter 9: Public Health

PUBLIC HEALTH ADMINISTRATION

STATUTORY responsibility for administering the services which safeguard public health in Hong Kong lies jointly with the Director of Medical and Health Services, the Urban Council, the District Commissioner, New Territories and the Commissioner of Labour. The Medical and Health Department has the executive responsibility of providing the Government hospital and clinic services through- out both urban and rural areas. In addition the epidemic and endemic disease control, maternal and child health, school health and port health services are maintained by the Department.

The Urban Council, through the Urban Services Department, is concerned with environmental sanitation, including food hygiene, in the urban areas of Hong Kong and Kowloon. In the rural areas the District Commissioner, New Territories is the statutory authority and the District Administration maintains environmental services broadly comparable to those provided by the Urban Services Department in the urban areas. The Industrial Health Section of the Labour Department is responsible for the assessment and control of occupational diseases, for accident prevention in work places, for the medical aspects of workmen's compensation and for environmental health conditions in factories. Doctors from the Medical and Health Department are seconded to the Urban Services Department, to the Industrial Health Section and to the Prisons Medical Service.

Government's policy is to provide, directly or indirectly, low cost or free medical and health services to that large section of the population which cannot afford to seek medical attention from other sources. To this end it maintains general, infectious disease, maternity and mental hospitals, general and specialized out-patient clinics and gives substantial subventions to hospitals maintained by voluntary associations and medical missionary bodies. Treat- ment is available free at Government institutions for tuberculosis,