HEALTH
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the port and airport areas. It provides facilities for the vaccination and the issue of International Vaccination Certificates to travellers and transmits free advice to ships at sea requiring medical assistance. A 24-hour service for the inspection of in-coming passengers arriving by sea and air and the granting of Radio Pratique to ships from clean ports on request is maintained throughout the year.
Epidemiological information is regularly exchanged with the World Health Organisation in Geneva, the Western Pacific Regional Office in Manila and several neighbouring health administrations.
MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH
There is increasing public understanding of the value of Hong Kong's maternal and child health facilities. Most babies are born either in hospital maternity wards or in maternity homes, and con- finements at home attended by private midwives now represent less than one per cent of the total deliveries. The Government District Midwifery Service has 28 centres, and the total number of maternity beds available for deliveries in these health centres is 516. There are 100 registered midwives practising privately in 60 maternity and nursing homes, which are regularly inspected by the Supervisor of Midwives and her staff.
The Government Maternal and Child Health Service offers free maternal and child care at 29 centres, 18 of which are full-time. Clinics are held for infants and for children between two and five years old, and ante-natal sessions are also conducted. Whenever necessary, babies attending the clinic are visited at home, and health visitors also go to the homes of newborn infants whose names appear in the monthly birth returns. Health education forms an important part of this work and includes practical demonstrations, talks, film shows and individual advice to mothers. There is a close liaison between the service and the Family Planning Association, which conducts an increasing number of sessions in all the centres.
SCHOOL HEALTH
The School Medical Service is operated by the School Medical Service Board, an independent body incorporated by ordinance. Essentially the scheme offers a service whereby participating school
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