ENG-1990 — Page 212

HEALTH

178

Slaughtering services in the Regional Council area are provided by two licensed pri- vate slaughterhouses in Kwai Chung and Yuen Long districts. They handled a total of 1 172 984 pigs, 56 507 head of cattle and 7 273 goats during the year. The slaughterhouse at Kwai Chung, which can slaughter up to 3 000 pigs a day, also helps to meet 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 3 900 pigs and 240 cattle. In addition, a small slaughterhouse is under construction at Cheung Chau, commissioning of which is expected in mid-1991.

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

Cemeteries and Crematoria

It is government policy to encourage cremation rather than burial for the disposal of the dead. During the year, over 72 per cent of the dead were cremated in the territory. Human remains buried in public cemeteries are subject to exhumation after six years when the exhumed remains are either cremated or re-interred in an urn cemetery.

The Urban Council operates one public funeral hall in Kowloon which provides free funeral services for the needy. Two service halls at the Hung Hom Public Funeral Parlour are provided free of charge for public use as 'farewell pavilions'.

In Urban Council areas, there are five public cemeteries, two public crematoria and 18 private cemeteries. There are also two war cemeteries which are 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 the cremation of exhumed skeletal remains. In 1990, 20 706 bodies and 8 588 skeletal cremations were handled. By the end of 1990, two more public crematoria were completed, one at Cheung Chau and the other at Wo Hop Shek. These two new crematoria will cater for the cremation of dead bodies and exhumed skeletal remains. Niches are provided at columbaria built adjacent to all crematoria. A new columbarium with 500 niches was completed on Lamma Island in November. By the end of 1990, the Regional Council provided and managed 34 422 niches. It also manages six public cemeteries, four at Wo Hop Shek, Tai O, Cheung Chau, Mui Wo, and two at Sandy Ridge. They comprise a total of 60 272 coffin grave sites and 185 391 urn grave sites. The council also oversees nine private cemeteries in the Regional Council area.

Auxiliary Medical Services

The Auxiliary Medical Services (AMS) is a disciplined, medical civil defence corps established and funded by the government since 1950. It consists of an establishment of 5 835 volunteers from all walks of life, such as doctors, nurses, paramedical personnel, civil servants and others engaged in the private sector. With the exception of members from the medical and nursing professions, layman volunteers are offered training in first-aid, footdrill, casualty evacuation, home nursing, life saving, ambulance manning, clinical and hospital ward attachment, leadership development and management techniques to enhance their operational efficiency and effectiveness in serving the community in times of need.

The role of AMS is to reinforce the regular services of the Health Services and Hospital Services Departments and the Ambulance Service during natural disasters and emergencies