ENG-2010 — Page 230

184 Health

In 2010, a total of 209 214 tests were carried out on a wide range of foods to ensure they were safe for consumption and that they met statutory standards. The laboratory also provided testing services for investigations into food complaints. A total of 17 089 such tests were conducted in 2010. The laboratory continues to outsource some of its routine testing work to commercial laboratories enabling it to better use its existing resources for developing new food testing methods and conducting additional food tests resulting from the broadened scope in food surveillance operations.

The laboratory also continues to provide services for analysing the quality and safety of western and Chinese medicines. In 2010, it carried out a total of 45 203 tests on western pharmaceutical products and 95 890 on Chinese medicines to ensure they met recognised quality and safety standards, including tests on proprietary Chinese medicines to ensure they were not adulterated with western drugs, controlled substances, and other harmful ingredients. The laboratory provided support for investigations into cases involving undeclared western drug ingredients and incidents of intoxication suspected to have been caused by misused, or contaminated herbs in Chinese medicines. The laboratory continues to assist the Department of Health in the development of Hong Kong Chinese Materia Medica Standards (HKCMMS). It also continued its year-round surveillance of tar and nicotine yields in cigarettes, carrying out 13 716 checks on data declared by tobacco traders, the results of which were released to the public regularly.

Public Health Laboratory Services

The Public Health Laboratory Services Branch of the DH provides clinical diagnostic and public health laboratory services to the public and private health sectors for patient care and for other public health uses. The branch also processes surveillance specimens to see if they contain infectious substances. The branch conducted more than 2.5 million such tests in 2010.

The Public Health Laboratory Centre under the Public Health Laboratory Services Branch has been designated by the WHO as the National Influenza Centre, the National Poliovirus Laboratory, the National Measles Laboratory, Regional Measles Reference Laboratory, Avian (H5) Influenza Reference Laboratory, SARS Reference Laboratory and a Supranational TB Reference Laboratory.

Hospital Laboratory Services

Hospital laboratories located in regional hospitals under the HA provide a wide range of laboratory services in anatomical pathology, chemical pathology, haematology, blood bank, microbiology, immunology and tissue typing to ensure that all public hospitals, including those without on-site laboratories, have access to comprehensive laboratory services. These laboratories are supported by advanced information technology systems and automated devices to achieve operational efficiency. They are also accredited by a number of local and international accreditation bodies. These hospital laboratories carried out more than 210 million tests in 2010.