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HEALTH

The Government Chemist is responsible for an analytical laboratory which undertakes a wide range of investigations concerned with food, narcotics and medico-legal work, as well as a considerable amount of commercial and other non-medical investigation.

Open heart surgery for the treatment of various types of congenital and acquired heart diseases has become available in Hong Kong since the middle of this year. The combined efforts of the Medical and Health Department, the University of Hong Kong, the Anti- tuberculosis and Thoracic Diseases Association and some private individuals have made this project possible. Patients are admitted to the Queen Mary Hospital for preliminary investigation and, if indicated, transferred to the Grantham Hospital for operation.

OUTPATIENT CLINICS

To meet the increasing demand for treatment by modern Western medicine, the outpatient services, provided mainly by the Govern- ment, and also by subsidized organizations and private agencies, are developing steadily. Many charitable and missionary clinics provide treatment either free or at a nominal cost and numerous organizations, particularly the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club, continue to take an active interest in medical and health problems. A large number of outpatient clinics are supported by kaifong, district and clansmen's associations and commercial concerns and trade unions also operate clinics for their members.

Government now maintains 43 clinics for general outpatients, and specialist facilities, available in the major centres in the urban areas, are provided in the New Territories by visiting teams from Hong Kong and Kowloon. Mobile dispensaries and floating clinics take medical services to the more remote areas of the New Terri- tories, especially the isolated villages on the eastern and western coasts. Other inaccessible villages are visited by the flying doctor service.

Since the Medical Clinics Ordinance came into effect in January 1964, 437 private clinics have been granted registration, of which 360 were exempted from employing registered doctors. Under the Medical Clinics (Amendment) Ordinance of 1966 the power of the Registrar of Clinics to register clinics with exemption was extended for a further three years as from January 1967, and all clinics,