Health Bureau holds World Family Doctor Day Symposium to confer with healthcare professionals on way forward for promoting primary healthcare services (with photos)
18.5.2024

The Health Bureau (HHB) and the Hong Kong College of Family Physicians (HKCFP) jointly held the World Family Doctor Day Symposium today (May 18) to share and discuss with healthcare professionals the ways of enlisting concerted effort to promote primary healthcare services with family doctors to support citizens in improving their well-being. The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, said, "Family doctors never work alone. As promulgated in the Primary Healthcare Blueprint released by the HHB, family doctors form a system that helps citizens improve their health through a cross-disciplinary network. The Government is constructing the eHealth+ platform, coupled with a community-level network in which family doctors are supported by cross-disciplinary healthcare professionals, enabling citizens to receive suitable primary healthcare services. Our ultimate goal is to shift the focus of the healthcare system from treatment to prevention. Along the way, family doctors undoubtedly play an important role. I am hopeful that more doctors will join the ranks of family doctors. "Taking the Chronic Disease Co-Care Pilot Scheme (CDCC Pilot Scheme) launched by the Government in last November as an example, the Scheme attracted nearly 38 000 citizens to date to undergo screening for diabetes mellitus (DM) and hypertension (HT) under government subsidy. At present, 500-plus doctors put the 'Family Doctor for All' concept into practice at over 600 service locations. As at May 15, some 21 000 participants have completed DM and HT screening. Among them, close to 40 per cent were found to have prediabetes, DM or HT and are now receiving prompt health management with doctors' assistance and under government subsidy." Professor Lo added, "In addition, the Primary Healthcare Office (PHO) will be transformed into the Primary Healthcare Commission (PHC Commission). The PHC Commission will oversee and manage the strategic planning and provision, standard setting and quality assurance of public and private primary healthcare services as well as training of primary healthcare professionals in a bid to enhance primary healthcare services. It will also plan services and allocate resources through strategic purchasing with the support of the Strategic Purchasing Office under the HHB to gradually implement the various recommendations put forward in the Blueprint." At the Symposium today, the HHB presented certificates of appreciation to the HKCFP and five family doctors who actively participate in the CDCC Pilot Scheme to acknowledge their efforts in promoting the prevention of chronic diseases as well as their contribution to and support for the primary healthcare of Hong Kong. The five doctors being commended are Dr Hung Hing-hoi, Dr Lam Wing-wo, Dr Sau Chung-ying, Dr Sin Ka-ling and Dr Arthur Wong. The Symposium brought together over a hundred representatives from different medical specialties. Speakers at the Symposium included the Dean of the Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong, Professor Lau Chak-sing; the Director of the Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Professor Samuel Wong; and the President of the HKCFP, Dr David Chao. A representative of the PHO also gave the attendees a preview on the Government's new initiatives to be launched according to recommendations in the Blueprint, including the expansion of the number of drugs covered in the drug list of the CDCC Pilot Scheme, the ramping up of nurse clinic and allied healthcare services as well as the upgrading of functions of the electronic platform with a view to fine-tuning the CDCC Pilot Scheme.