HEALTH
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services. Occupational, social and recreational facilities are provided in all centres. Voluntary agencies also help rehabilitate patients before they resume full activities in the community.
Industrial Health
The main objective of the Industrial Health Service is to prevent occupational diseases and to promote health at work. It provides professional advice on matters affecting the health and safety of workers.
In the construction of the mass transit railway, a large number of people are working in compressed air. All such workers are medically examined, and advised on the symptoms of decompression sickness and what to do if these occur. Hospitals and doctors also have been alerted to watch for decompression sickness.
The professional and technical officers of the Industrial Health Service carry out routine and special biological and environmental monitoring. The Industrial Hygiene Laboratory has been designated as a collaborating laboratory in air pollution by the World Health Organisation.
Dental Service
The Government Dental Service operates 31 clinics. It undertakes dental care for all monthly-paid government servants and their dependants, and offers limited treatment for government hospital inpatients, prisoners and training centre inmates. Emergency treatment is provided for the public at certain clinics.
Construction work on the eight-storey MacLehose Dental Centre in Morrison Hill, Wan Chai, began in June. It will be completed in September, 1978, and accom- modate dental surgeries, a training school for dental nurses and a children's dental clinic.
Voluntary bodies and welfare organisations operate free or low-cost dental clinics for the public.
Port Health
The Port Health Service is concerned with preventing the import of quarantinable diseases into Hong Kong, the sanitary control of port and airport areas, and the provision of facilities required by the International Health Regulations.
It provides facilities for vaccinating and issuing International Vaccination Certi- ficates. It also inspects and eradicates rats from ships on international voyages and issues International Deratting Certificates. The service provides medical assistance to ships in the harbour and transmits free medical advice to ships at sea. It maintains a 24-hour service for inspecting incoming passengers by sea and air, and grants radio pratique to ships from clean ports.
Epidemiological information is exchanged regularly with the World Health Organi- sation in Geneva and its western Pacific regional office in Manila, along with several neighbouring countries.
Special Services
The Institute of Pathology maintains clinical pathology and public health laboratory services for the government and a consultant service for the government-assisted
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