ENG-2000 — Page 227

HEALTH

initiated in collaboration with local, Mainland or other national institutes with a view to introducing better analytical methodology in the field. These projects paid dividends during the year with five scientific papers accepted for publication.

The workload for examination of pharmaceutical products for use in public hospitals and clinics and those intended for sale locally remained heavy. Including those tests conducted under the Import and Export Ordinance, a total of 42 031 tests were carried out, representing an increase of 48 per cent over the previous year.

The year-round programme involving 13 176 cigarette analyses culminated in the annual publication of tar and nicotine tables. These results reinforced the statutory requirement of imposing health warnings on cigarettes and helped to keep higher-tar brands off the local market.

Chinese Medicine

The Chinese Medicine Council of Hong Kong, established in September 1999, is responsible for devising and implementing regulatory measures for Chinese medicine. Subsidiary legislation for the registration of Chinese medicine practitioners was enacted in June. The registration of Chinese medicine practitioners under the transitional arrangements commenced in August. Subsidiary legislation for the regulation of Chinese medicines will be introduced in 2001 and subject to its enactment, regulatory measures for Chinese medicines, which include licensing of traders of Chinese medicines and registration of proprietary Chinese medicines, will be implemented by phases.

Auxiliary Medical Service

The Auxiliary Medical Service (AMS) is a government financed volunteer organisation established under the Auxiliary Medical Service Ordinance. Its main role is to augment regular medical, health and ambulance services in times of emergency and to supplement such services in non-emergency situations.

The AMS has an establishment of 5 258 volunteer members and 102 full-time staff. The volunteer members come from all walks of life; they include medical practitioners, nurses and paramedical personnel. The Director of Health is the Commissioner of the AMS, and is responsible to the Chief Executive for the efficient operation of the service.

With a view to improving the quality of emergency care at scenes of disaster, the AMS introduced the Disaster Medical Assistants Training (DMAT) Programme for its volunteer members in 1998. The curriculum includes disaster nursing, emergency care, duties at radiation monitoring centres and basic disaster psychology. A three- year programme conducted as part of the regular member training, the DMAT Programme is considered a success. In view of this, the AMS is compiling a training manual to disseminate the knowledge of disaster medicine to the general public and to facilitate its exchanges with counterparts in neighbouring cities.

The non-emergency services provided by the AMS to the community include an ambulance transfer service, first aid training, first aid coverage at country parks, major public functions, fund raising activities and daily manning of 21 methadone clinics. In 2000, 14 579 patients benefited from the non-emergency ambulance transfer service, and 3 720 public officers received first aid training and became qualified first aiders.

183