ENG-1984 — Page 183

HEALTH

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The health staff also maintains close surveillance of the food catering service provided for international airlines to ensure that food and water supplied to flight kitchens is clean and safe. Epidemiological information is exchanged regularly with the World Health Organisation in Geneva and its Western Pacific regional office in Manila, and with neighbouring countries.

Refugees

The number of Vietnamese refugees arriving in Hong Kong remained relatively small during the year. Under the Immigration (Amendment) Ordinance 1982, all new arrivals were transferred to closed centres for quarantine and detention after initial disinfection procedures. The centres provide a range of facilities including recreational, social, medical and family planning services. The health of the refugees is closely monitored and proved to be satisfactory during 1984.

Voluntary agencies continued to co-operate in running clinics in open refugee centres for treating minor ailments while serious cases were referred to government hospitals and specialist clinics for examination and treatment.

Special Services

The Pathology Service provides clinical and public health laboratory services for govern- ment hospitals and clinics, and a consultant service for the government-assisted sector. It also administers hospital mortuaries and blood banks. The Institute of Immunology produces vaccine and other biological products for use in the local health services. The Virus Unit provides a central laboratory service for the diagnosis and surveillance of viral infections and valuable services for the screening, assessment and guidance of vaccination programmes against viral infections. In 1984, a Central Neo-natal Screening Laboratory was established in the Kwong Wah Hospital on a temporary basis. The main function of this unit is to co-ordinate the laboratory activities of the territory-wide neo-natal screening programme on congenital hypothyroidism and glucose 6 phosphatase dehydrogenose deficiency. The Forensic Pathology Service, through its forensic laboratory, works closely with the Royal Hong Kong Police Force on the medical aspects of criminology and other medical-legal work. It also administers public mortuaries.

The Institute of Radiology and Oncology provides diagnostic organ image services for the government as well as consultant services for all government-subvented hospitals and private institutions. Computerised axial tomography (CAT) whole-body scanners are installed in all government regional hospitals including the new Prince of Wales Hospital. The Nuclear Medicine Unit was established in December 1983. The main tasks of the unit are to co-ordinate and improve the various nuclear medicine procedures and to train medical personnel in the field.

The institute provides comprehensive radiotherapy programmes and a chemotherapy service. It also operates a cancer registry covering the whole territory. Professional staff of the Radiation Health Unit carry out regular inspections of medical, commercial and industrial premises and monitor the working conditions of radiation workers. During the year, more than 1 200 radiation licences were issued to proprietors in accordance with the Radiation Ordinance.

The Pharmaceutical Service is made up of two main divisions. The first is the hospital and clinic pharmacy service which has a staff of about 500 and is responsible for dispensing medicine in all government hospitals and clinics. The second division is the pharmacy