ENG-1961 — Page 166

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Health

PUBLIC HEALTH ADMINISTRATION

STATUTORY responsibility for administering the services which safeguard public health in Hong Kong rests with the Director of Medical and Health Services, the Urban Council, the Director of Urban Services, the Commissioner of Labour and the District Commissioner, New Territories. The Medical and Health Depart- ment provides hospital and clinic facilities throughout both urban and rural areas; maintains maternal and child health, school health and port health services; and is responsible for measures to control epidemic and endemic disease. In addition, doctors are seconded to the Urban Services Department, the Industrial Health Section of the Labour Department and the Prisons Medical Service. In the New Territories the District Commissioner is responsible for the licensing of premises used for the preparation and sale of food for human consumption, hawkers, private markets, slaughter- houses and offensive trades.

The policy of Government is to provide, directly or indirectly, low cost or free medical and personal health services to the large section of the community which is unable to seek medical attention from other sources. To this end it maintains general, maternity, mental and infectious disease hospitals, and general and specialized out-patient clinics. Moreover, substantial grants-in-aid from public funds are given to certain voluntary associations and medical missionary bodies maintaining hospitals where treatment is either free or at low cost, such grants normally being calculated to meet the excess of expenditure over income. In some cases, notably for the in-patient treatment of tuberculosis, the cost of maintenance of a fixed number of beds in hospitals run by such bodies is met by a subvention.

At most Government clinics, there is a charge of $1 for each attendance, but free out-patient treatment is available for tuber- culosis, leprosy and venereal disease. Ophthalmic services are free