Dr Li, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, I am most delighted to be invited to address this distinguished gathering today which marks the exciting event of the formation of the Family Medicine Training Centre of the Prince of Wales Hospital. During the past decades, Hong Kong has experience its epidemiological transition of mortality and morbidity pattern. Instead of severe acute infections, doctors are now faced mostly with chronic diseases and disabilities, psychosocial problems and a different range of infectious diseases. This new pattern presents a new challenge for practitioners.
Infections are mostly acute and patients live with it for only a relatively short period of time.
In contrast, someone suffering from chronic illnesses will be engaged in prolonged struggle to adapt to his environment. And often, today's practitioners are helping patients to achieve a new equilibrium with his environment in the face of chronic illnesses and disability. The discipline, through providing continuity of care, would gain knowledge of the patients and their family and develop a trusting, long-term relationship with their patients. This is proven to be an effective therapeutic and diagnostic tool particularly in handling illnesses with complex psychosomatioc element. Their comprehensive and holistic approach in delivery of care also ensures biological factor of an illness is not treated in separation from the behavioural, social and psychological perspectives.