ENG-1988 — Page 199

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HEALTH

Slaughtering services in the Regional Council area are provided by two licensed private slaughterhouses in Kwai Chung and Yuen Long districts. They handled a total of 1 128 700 pigs, 59 000 head of cattle and 5 000 goats during the year. The slaughterhouse at Kwai Chung, which can slaughter up to 3 000 pigs a day, also helps to meet the demand in Kowloon. To meet long-term demand, a site at Sheung Shui has been reserved for the construction of a private slaughterhouse with a possible throughput capacity of 2 500 pigs and 200 cattle. In addition a small slaughterhouse is being planned for Cheung Chau.

All animals slaughtered in these abattoirs and slaughterhouses were inspected by qualified health inspectors of the Urban Services and the Regional Services departments.

Cemeteries and Crematoria

It is the government's policy to encourage cremation rather than burial for the disposal of the dead. During the year, over 67 per cent of the dead_were cremated. Human remains buried in public cemeteries are subject to exhumation after six years. The exhumed remains are then either cremated or re-interred in an urn cemetery.

The Urban Council operates one public funeral parlour in Kowloon, which provides free services for the dead. In the urban areas there are five public cemeteries, two public crematoria and 18 private cemeteries. There are two war cemeteries under the management of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

The Regional Council manages three public crematoria at Kwai Chung, Fu Shan and Wo Hop Shek. The first two are used for the cremation of dead bodies, and the third solely for cremation of exhumed skeletal remains. Niches are provided at the columbaria in these three areas. The department also manages six public cemeteries, including the Wo Hop Shek Cemetery, the biggest public cemetery in use in Hong Kong, and oversees nine private cemeteries in the Regional Council area. The public cemetery at Mui Wo, named Lai Chi Yuen Cemetery was opened for public use in the last quarter of 1988.

Auxiliary Medical Service

Formed in 1950, the Auxiliary Medical Service is a medical civil defence organisation with volunteer members trained and equipped to provide an essential service to the public, especially in times of emergency. With the current establishment of 5 835 volunteers who come from all walks of life, it has about 1 500 professionals comprising doctors, nurses, pharmacists, dispensers, radiographers and paramedical personnel working either in government or in private practice.

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With its corps of professionals and trained auxiliaries, the primary task of the AMS is to augment the medical and health services in emergency situations such as those which follow a major disaster when full mobilisation will be required. In such situations, emergency medical resources are available from the AMS to treat the injured on the spot, to convey casualties to hospitals, and to care for patients at both acute and convalescent hospitals.

Its uniformed and disciplined members are trained in ambulance manning techniques, and helps to reinforce the regular ambulance services of Hong Kong. In addition, it has mobile first aid parties to work in conjunction with rescue forces. As part of the operational logistics, its emergency supplies are stockpiled at various storerooms, clinics and hospitals. These supplies are dispersed over some 50 stores in both the urban and rural areas.

The AMS has a fleet of eight ambulances and six motor cycle ambulances equipped with rescue and resuscitation kits. The vehicles are fully operational for emergency services. On Sundays and Public Holidays, they are deployed to country parks for stand-by duty.