ENG-1966 — Page 148

HEALTH

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becoming operational. Similarly, two new ward blocks at the Castle Peak Hospital, providing an additional 240 beds to bring the hospital's total bed strength to 1,359, were nearing inaugura- tion. Substantial progress was achieved in the planning of many other government projects, including a large general hospital in the Lai Chi Kok area, a mental hospital of approximately 1,000 beds, an extension of almost 600 beds to Kowloon Hospital, and the Tang Shiu Kin Hospital at Morrison Hill, which will have a casualty department.

The general state of health of the population, as demonstrated by the Colony's vital statistics set out in Appendix XXX, was well maintained. Rates particularly indicative of the trends are the infant and neonatal mortality rates, which were 24.9 and 15.3 per 1,000 live births respectively, and the still-birth and maternal mortality rates, which were 13.3 and 0.43 per 1,000 total births respectively. Maternal deaths totalled 40 for 1966. The crude death rate was 5.04 per 1,000 population. Based on actual registrations of births and deaths, there was a reproductive increase of 73,776 persons during the year. A total of 92,476 live births was registered as compared with 102,195 in 1965 and the live birth rate fell further from 27.9 to 24.9 per 1,000 of population.

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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 Division of the Labour Department, the Criminal Investigation Department of the police and HM Prisons.

The estimated expenditure of the Medical and Health Department for the financial year 1966-7 is $119,111,300. To this should be added substantial subventions to many medical institutions and