ENG-1978 — Page 117

HEALTH

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brought into use over the next five years, starting with the Sha Tin general clinic in 1980.

A second medical school in Hong Kong is to be established at the Chinese Uni- versity of Hong Kong. The first pre-clinical intake will be in 1981 and the school will eventually produce 100 doctors a year. The new hospital at Sha Tin will serve as the teaching hospital. Two more nurse training schools are also planned over the next five years.

At the University of Hong Kong, which has had a medical school since its founda- tion in 1911, it is planned to establish a dental school in 1980. The first 60 dentists are expected to graduate early in 1985.

To ensure the efficient use of hospital beds and medical facilities, medical and health services have been regionalised since April, 1977, with the territory being divided into four regions. The objective is to bring about a better appreciation of the medical and health needs of the main population centres. The results of regionalisation have been encouraging. Although the demand for services at two regional hospitals - Queen Elizabeth Hospital and Queen Mary Hospital – still remains high, congestion has been relieved and bed occupancy in the various district hospitals has increased significantly.

In addition to hospitals and clinics, the Medical and Health Department provides services covering family health, school health, mental health, industrial health, port health and the control of communicable diseases.

For the 1978-9 financial year the Medical and Health Department's estimated expenditure is $560 million. In addition, subventions totalling about $295.6 million are being made to many non-government medical institutions and organisations. The estimated capital expenditure on hospitals and other buildings, including furni- ture and equipment, is $44.8 million.

Health of the Community

The Hong Kong community overall enjoys good health as evidenced by its low mortality rates and a continued decline in the incidence of communicable diseases. This decline is attributable to improved environmental conditions, the development of maternal and child health services, and an increasing public awareness of the value of these services.

There were two cholera cases reported in 1978. Appropriate precautionary measures were taken to prevent the spread of the disease.

Cancer and heart diseases are the main causes of death in Hong Kong. The in- cidence of and the number of deaths from tuberculosis continued to drop. About 98 per cent of new-born babies are vaccinated with BCG – probably the highest rate in the world. As a result tuberculosis is now rare among those under 15. A case-finding campaign that was undertaken in April, 1978, achieved a good response and there are plans to launch another major campaign in 1979.

Venereal diseases are treated free at social hygiene clinics. A very small percentage of the patients are teenagers. Energetic control measures such as contact tracing, following up defaulters and routine antenatal blood testing are directed at interrupting the chain of infection.