ENG-1979 — Page 126

HEALTH

81

Queen Mary Hospital, with 1,184 beds, is the regional hospital for Hong Kong Island. It is the teaching hospital for the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Hong Kong.

Queen Elizabeth Hospital, the largest general hospital in Kowloon with 1,938 beds, is the regional hospital for east Kowloon and the east New Territories.

Kwong Wah Hospital, a government-assisted hospital with 1,552 beds, is the regional hospital for west Kowloon.

Princess Margaret Hospital has 1,268 beds. It serves as a regional hospital for the west New Territories and contains an infectious diseases unit and a geriatric unit.

As a result of the regionalisation scheme, the bed occupancy rates of government-assisted hospitals such as Pok Oi, Buddhist, Tung Wah and Yan Chai Hospitals have been brought up to more than 80 per cent.

Clinics

Out-patient services provided by the government, subsidised organisations and private agencies are being continually developed. The government operates 52 general out-patient clinics and a number of polyclinics and specialist clinics. During the year, demand remained high at these clinics. Evening, Sunday and public holiday sessions continued at clinics situated in the more densely-populated areas.

Mobile dispensaries and floating clinics take medical services to the outlying islands and the more remote areas of the New Territories. Other inaccessible areas are visited regularly by the 'flying doctor' service, with assistance from the Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force.

At the end of 1979, 402 clinics were registered under the Medical Clinics Ordinance. Of these, 88 clinics were under the control of a registered medical practitioner, as required under the ordinance, and 314 clinics were exempted from this requirement. Registered medical practitioners set up clinics in housing estates through the Estate Doctors Associa- tion Limited.

Family Health

90

The Family Health Service operates a total of 38 centres, each of which provides a compre- hensive health care programme for women of child-bearing age and children up to five years. Family planning is an important component of the Family Health Service. Antenatal and post-natal health consultation sessions are conducted for mothers. In 1979, more than per cent of new-born babies were taken to a centre for attention and advice on at least one occasion. Immunisation programmes against diseases to which children are particularly vulnerable are carried out. More than 50,000 children have already benefited from a com- prehensive observation scheme introduced in April, 1978, to screen, detect and assess early developmental abnormalities, resulting in remedial action to eliminate or minimise disabilities. Parents are advised to complete their families before mothers reach the age of 35, in order to reduce the likelihood of disabled children being born.

The government-subvented Family Planning Association of Hong Kong runs a further 22 clinics that provide vasectomy, female sterilisation and sub-fertility services, as well as advice to young people. It conducts educational programmes for schools and community agencies; runs training programmes for midwives, teachers and social workers; organises information and publicity campaigns; and carries out clinical trials and surveys.

School Health

The School Medical Service is operated by the School Medical Service Board, an independ- ent body incorporated by ordinance. Participation is voluntary and, for a contribution of