ENG-1988 — Page 182

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HEALTH

child-bearing age and children aged up to five years. Ante-natal and post-natal medical consultation as well as family planning service are offered to women. Immunisation programmes are carried out against tuberculosis, diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, poliomyelitis and measles. During the year, about 90 per cent of newborn babies attended the maternal and child health centres.

Under a comprehensive observation scheme, children are assessed at different ages for detection of early developmental abnormalities. If necessary, they are referred for specialist care or to child assessment centres for further examination.

At present, there are three child assessment centres. The multi-disciplinary approach adopted ensures early rehabilitation for the child. Five more child assessment centres will be established in the coming decade.

Health education is an essential component of the Family Health Services. In addition to health talks and counselling on child care offered at centres, health education for expectant mothers is also extended to government hospitals, with particular emphasis on the promotion of breastfeeding. A telephone service is available to answer enquiries from the public.

The government-subvented Family Planning Association of Hong Kong runs 30 birth control clinics, providing such services as pre-marital counselling, contraception, sterilisa- tion, vasectomy and advice on sub-fertility. There is also emphasis on health education and publicity on family planning and sex education.

School Health

The School Medical Service Scheme is operated by an independent School Medical Service Board. Participation is voluntary and for a token fee of $10 a year children from Primary 1 to Form 3 can receive free medical attention from a general medical practitioner of the parent's choice. The government contributes $65 a year for each pupil enrolled and also bears the administrative cost. The general response to the scheme is good: more than 380 000 children from 912 schools have taken part - representing about 48 per cent of the eligible school population - and about 440 general medical practitioners have enlisted.

JULIE

The School Health Service, a government responsibility, deals with the environmental health and sanitation of school premises and the control of communicable diseases. School health officers, health visitors and health inspectors make frequent inspections of schools to advise on matters concerning the health of children and organise health education activities and immunisation campaigns.

Mental Health

Medical services for the mentally ill include treatment in hospitals, out-patient clinics and day hospitals. The Mental Health Service of the Medical and Health Department, in conjunction with other local academic and voluntary bodies, provides a comprehensive psychiatric service for the territory as a whole.

Currently 3 445 beds are provided in psychiatric hospitals, and 624 beds in psychiatric units of general hospitals. In line with the universal trend for the latter type of provision, 2 238 additional beds are being planned for the mentally ill in the coming decade.

Psychiatric patients are treated, as far as possible, in the community. Apart from attending out-patient clinics or day hospitals, patients may also be visited at home by specially trained community psychiatric nurses. Started in 1982, the Community Psy- chiatric Nursing Service aims to provide continuity in after-care treatment programmes for discharged mental patients, to assist them in social readjustment and to educate the patients