ENG-1959 — Page 181

148

HONG KONG ANNUAL REPORT

English is carried out at the Government Hospitals School of Nursing; that in Cantonese is conducted at the Tung Wah Hospitals, the Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital and the Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital, all of which maintain courses of training approved by the Hong Kong Nursing Board.

The training in general nursing lasts for three years and pre- liminary and final examinations are held by the Nursing Board. On passing the final examinations, nurses are entitled to regis- tration with the Board and are thereafter eligible for the State Registered Nurses Certificate of the General Nursing Council of England and Wales.

Midwives. The great majority of female nurses on completion of the general training take a midwifery course of one year which qualifies them for entry to the examinations held by the Hong Kong Midwives Board. The course is conducted in English at the Government Hospitals and in Cantonese at the other approved schools. For student midwives who are not registered nurses a two-year course of training in Cantonese at the Tsan Yuk Govern- ment Maternity Hospital is accepted by the Midwives Board for entry to the examinations.

If a Hong Kong Registered Midwife wishes to obtain the State Certified Midwife Certificate of the Central Midwives Board of England and Wales she is required to do a further three months training in the United Kingdom and to pass the examination for the State Certified Midwife Certificate. This is due to the fact that, owing to the very overcrowded housing conditions in Hong Kong, there is little scope for domiciliary midwifery and the requisite training in midwifery in the home cannot be given satisfactorily.

Health Visitors and Health Inspectors. The Examination Board in Hong Kong of the Royal Society for the Promotion of Health conducts examinations for the Health Visitors Certificate, the Public Health Inspector's Certificate and the Tropical Hygiene Certificate of the Society.

For the Health Visitors Certificate, a one-year course of training is carried out at the Government Harcourt Health Centre for candidates who are both Hong Kong Registered Nurses and Midwives.