ENG-1964 — Page 136

HEALTH

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There are three Government Hospital Schools of Nursing; Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary are general schools and Castle Peak is a Psychiatric Nursing School. Training is in English at these schools but there are approved schools at the Tung Wah Hospitals, the Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital and the Hong Kong Sanatorium and Hospital, in all of which the medium of instruction is Cantonese. Examinations are held by the Hong Kong Nursing Board and there is full reciprocity of registration between the Hong Kong Board and the General Nursing Council of England and Wales.

Most female nurses on completion of their general nursing 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 government hospitals and in Cantonese at the other approved schools. For student mid- wives who are not registered nurses a two-year course of training at the Tsan Yuk Maternity Hospital, and to a limited extent at the other approved training schools, is accepted by the Midwives Board for entry to the examinations. Due to the limited scope of domiciliary midwifery, adequate practical training in this aspect cannot be given. Full reciprocity of registration with the Central Midwives Board of England and Wales is therefore not possible in present circumstances.

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The Examination Board in Hong Kong of the Royal Society for the Promotion of Health conducts examinations for the health visitor's certificate, the public health inspector's certificate, and the tropical hygiene certificate. A course for the health visitor's certificate is conducted by the Medical and Health Department, while training for the public health inspector's certificate and the tropical hygiene certificate is carried out within the Urban Services Department.

URBAN SERVICES

The Urban Council has statutory obligations in the urban area for environmental sanitation and hygiene, the public health control of food, the enactment, subject to the approval of the Legislative Council, of by-laws relating to public health and hygiene, and their enforcement, and the maintenance of certain places of public recreation, principally parks, playgrounds and bathing beaches.