kakase/hk_gov_press_release huggingface dataset:
Secretary for Health to attend 77th World Health Assembly in Geneva
25.5.2024

The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, will depart for Geneva, Switzerland, today (May 25) to attend the 77th World Health Assembly (WHA) of the World Health Organization (WHO) and to visit pharmaceutical companies and a hospital in Basel and Zurich to enhance exchanges and co-operation on health and medical innovation between the two places. Professor Lo will attend the 77th WHA on May 27 (Geneva time) as a member of the Chinese delegation. The theme of this year's Assembly is "All for Health, Health for All ". The key discussions will cover universal health coverage, infection prevention and control, International Health Regulations, antimicrobial resistance, prevention and control of non-communicable diseases, health promotion and WHO's preparedness and response to public health emergencies. During his visit in Geneva, Professor Lo will take the opportunity to exchange views with senior officials of the WHO on public health-related issues. After attending the WHA, Professor Lo will depart for Basel and Zurich to commence his visit to Switzerland by visiting Novartis, Roche and University Hospital of Zurich to introduce to experts and academics of local medical and pharmaceutical sectors and in the field of health and medical innovation the measures put forward by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government to develop into a health and medical innovation hub; enhance the prevailing drug evaluation and registration mechanism and foster clinical trial development. The Director of Health, Dr Ronald Lam, will accompany Professor Lo to Switzerland. They will return to Hong Kong on May 31. During Professor Lo's absence, the Under Secretary for Health, Dr Libby Lee, will be the Acting Secretary for Health.
Secretary for Health meets delegations of Shanghai Municipal Health Commission and Shanghai Hospital Development Center (with photos)
17.5.2024

The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, had separate meetings with delegations led by Deputy Director General of the Shanghai Municipal Health Commission Professor Hu Hongyi and Vice Director General of the Shanghai Hospital Development Center Mr Zheng Ning today (May 17) to explore areas for strengthening healthcare co-operation. Professor Lo said, "Hong Kong and Shanghai embrace seamless co-operation in the realm of healthcare. The two places have signed the Memorandum of Understanding on Healthcare Cooperation between the Shanghai Municipal Health Commission and the Health Bureau of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government last month at the 6th Plenary Session of the Hong Kong/Shanghai Co-operation Conference to establish co-operation mechanisms in four key areas of collaboration, namely traditional Chinese medicine, high-quality development of public hospitals, community health and prevention and control of infectious diseases, as well as health emergency responses. "For the very first time, the Chief Executive adopted cross-boundary medical collaboration as one of the subtitles in the 2023 Policy Address, demonstrating how deep the HKSAR Government values medical collaboration with the Mainland, Shanghai included, on various fronts. The HKSAR Government has indeed been strengthening co-operation on healthcare service developments and enhancing healthcare quality with various Mainland counterparts under the principles of complementarity and mutual benefits and on the premise of benefitting the healthcare development of the Mainland and Hong Kong. Looking ahead, the two places will continue to strive to foster cross-boundary healthcare collaboration and draw concerted efforts to push forward the important national strategy of 'Healthy China'." The delegations of the Shanghai Municipal Health Commission and the Shanghai Hospital Development Center also attended the Hospital Authority (HA) Convention during their visit to Hong Kong. The Director of Health, Dr Ronald Lam, and the Chief Executive of the HA, Dr Tony Ko, also joined some of the meetings today.
Secretary for Health meets delegations of Beijing and Macao Special Administrative Region (with photos)
16.5.2024

The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, had separate meetings with delegations led by Deputy Director of the Beijing Municipal Health Commission Mr Li Ang and the Director of the Health Bureau of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) Government, Dr Lo Iek-long, today (May 16) to explore ways of strengthening co-operation in the area of healthcare. During the meetings, Professor Lo and the delegations introduced their respective work progress and achievements attained lately in relation to healthcare development, and shared experiences on achieving the high-quality development of public hospitals with a view to drawing concerted efforts in enhancing healthcare quality and contributing to the national strategy of "Healthy China". Professor Lo said, "The Health Bureau has been maintaining close connection with health departments in various places, including Beijing and Macao, and continuously exploring collaboration in multiple areas and aspects of healthcare. Among others, we are discussing with Beijing various forms of talent exchange programmes and finalising the details of the Pilot Scheme for Direct Cross-boundary Ambulance Transfer in the Greater Bay Area with the Macao SAR Government. The Ambulance Transfer arrangement will provide point-to-point direct transfer service between hospitals of the two places for patients with specific needs. Looking ahead, we will continue to build closer co-operation relationship with the Mainland and Macao on the basis of complementarity and mutual benefits, thereby enhancing the healthcare services of various places as a whole for the benefit of the public." The delegations of Beijing and the Macao SAR also attended the Hospital Authority (HA) Convention during their visits to Hong Kong. The Director of Health, Dr Ronald Lam; the Chairman of the HA, Mr Henry Fan; and the Chief Executive of the HA, Dr Tony Ko, also joined some of the meetings today.
Appointments to Council on Human Reproductive Technology gazetted
10.5.2024

The Government published in the Gazette today (May 10) the appointments of six new members and reappointments of four serving members to the Council on Human Reproductive Technology. The newly appointed members are Dr Go Wing-wa, Dr Charas Ong Yeu-theng, Reverend Leung Yuen-yiu, Reverend Ng Sui-lung, Professor Dennis Wong Sing-wing and Mr Jeffrey Lo Cheuk-fei. The reappointed serving members are Dr Leung Kwok-yin, Ms Eva Choi Doi-kwan, Mr Frederick Hui Cheuk-kit and Ms Vanessa Wan Lai-shan. The appointments of Dr Go Wing-wa, Dr Charas Ong Yeu-theng, Reverend Leung Yuen-yiu, Reverend Ng Sui-lung, Mr Jeffrey Lo Cheuk-fei, Dr Leung Kwok-yin, Ms Eva Choi Doi-kwan, Mr Frederick Hui Cheuk-kit and Ms Vanessa Wan Lai-shan took effect from April 11, 2024, whereas that of Professor Dennis Wong Sing-wing took effect from May 2, 2024. The aforementioned members were all appointed for a three-year tenure. The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, welcomed the new members to the Council. He also expressed gratitude to Dr Yu Kai-man, Dr Chow Kam-ming, Dr Philip Beh Swan-lip, Professor Kwan Kai-man and Professor Cheung Yuet-wah for having served in the Council and offered invaluable contributions and unfailing support to the Council during their terms of office. Established in 2001 under the Human Reproductive Technology Ordinance, the Council on Human Reproductive Technology is tasked to regulate reproductive technology activities including regulating the provision of reproductive technology procedures and embryo research, etc in Hong Kong through a licensing system, and formulate the Code of Practice for the relevant sectors. Under section 4(2) of the Ordinance, the Council consists of 26 members from a wide range of disciplines, including medical specialists, legal professionals, a social worker, religious personnel or scholars in theology/philosophy/ethics, psychiatrists or psychologists, sociologists, local community leaders and government representatives. The membership list of the Council with effect from May 2, 2024, is as follows: Chairperson -------------- Professor Raymond Liang Hin-suen Deputy Chairperson ------------------------- Professor Wong Man-sau Members ----------- Dr Cheung Tak-hong Ms Eva Choi Doi-kwan Dr Abril Choy Fung-peng Dr Go Wing-wa Mr Frederick Hui Cheuk-kit Dr May Lam Mei-ling Dr Leung Kwok-yin Reverend Leung Yuen-yiu Mr Jeffrey Lo Cheuk-fei Mr Ng Chak-hang Reverend Ng Sui-lung Ms Ng Wing-wing Dr Charas Ong Yeu-theng Ms Shum Hin-han Ms Vanessa Wan Lai-shan Professor Kelvin Wang Man-ping Professor Dennis Wong Sing-wing Ms Wu Shuk-yin Mr Christopher Yu Wing-fai Principal Assistant Secretary, Health Bureau Assistant Director, Department of Health Assistant Director, Home Affairs Department Chief Social Work Officer, Social Welfare Department
Secretary for Health meets delegation of Shanghai Municipal Health Commission (with photos)
26.4.2024

The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, met with a delegation led by the Director General of the Shanghai Municipal Health Commission, Professor Wen Daxiang, to exchange views on reinforcing healthcare collaboration between Shanghai and Hong Kong today (April 26). At the meeting, the two parties engaged in in-depth discussions over the four highlighted areas of co-operation put forward in the Memorandum of Understanding on Healthcare Cooperation between the Shanghai Municipal Health Commission and the Health Bureau of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region signed this morning at the 6th Plenary Session of the Hong Kong/Shanghai Co-operation Conference. The four areas of co-operation cover traditional Chinese medicine (CM), high-quality development of public hospitals, community health as well as prevention and control of infectious diseases and health emergency responses. Professor Lo said, "For the very first time, the Chief Executive adopted cross-boundary medical collaboration as one of the subtitles in the 2023 Policy Address, demonstrating how deep the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) Government values medical collaboration with the Mainland on various fronts. The Hong Kong SAR Government has indeed been strengthening co-operation on healthcare service developments and enhancing healthcare quality in the two places with various Mainland counterparts under the principles of complementarity and mutual benefits and on the premise of benefitting the healthcare development of the Mainland and Hong Kong. Looking ahead, the two places will continue to strive to foster cross-boundary healthcare collaboration and draw concerted efforts to push forward the important national strategy of 'Healthy China'. "With the support of the Hong Kong SAR Government, the Hospital Authority (HA) is actively following up with the relevant healthcare authorities of Shanghai on the two-way talent exchange and deepening of professional co-operation arrangements for public hospitals of both places, aiming to realise the two-way exchange of suitable doctors in phases within this year. In respect of CM, I am particularly grateful to the relevant authorities of Shanghai for recommending CM experts to advise us on the planning of Hong Kong's first Chinese Medicine Hospital. We will continue to encourage more Hong Kong CM practitioners to participate in clinical training exchanges in Shanghai with a view to elevating the professional standard of the sector." The Director of Health, Dr Ronald Lam; the Controller of Regulatory Affairs of the Department of Health (DH), Dr Amy Chiu; the Chief Executive of the HA, Dr Tony Ko; the Director of Cluster Services of the HA, Dr Simon Tang, and representatives from the Health Bureau and the DH also attended the meeting today.
Secretary for Health and delegation proceed to visit Dongguan (with photos)
14.3.2024

The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, and his delegation headed to Dongguan from Guangzhou today (March 14) to continue their two-day visit, meeting Dongguan Municipal Government and health officials, and visiting the Dongguan Tungwah Hospital. The delegation first met with Deputy Mayor of the Dongguan Municipal People's Government Ms Li Jun and the Director of the Dongguan Municipal Health Bureau, Ms Zhang Qiaoli. Professor Lo introduced to them the latest healthcare developments in Hong Kong and engaged with them in a thorough exchange on issues such as the Elderly Health Care Voucher Greater Bay Area Pilot Scheme, optimisation of hospital management, improvement of public health and enhancement of healthcare service quality. Professor Lo said, "The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government endeavors to keep strengthening and deepening healthcare exchanges and co-operation with Mainland cities to promote healthcare development in Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area cities in a bid to enhance the quality and efficiency of medical and healthcare services, thereby contributing to the major national strategy of 'Healthy China' through concerted efforts." The delegation visited the Dongguan Tungwah Hospital in the afternoon. The hospital was included in the Pilot Scheme as one of the pilot medical institutions by the Health Bureau last month. Hong Kong elderly persons who are eligible for receiving Elderly Health Care Vouchers will be able to use the vouchers to pay for outpatient healthcare services they receive at designated medical centres or medical service departments of the Dongguan Tungwah Hospital later this year. Deputy Secretary for Health Mr Eddie Lee; the Senior Advisor (Secretary for Health's Office), Dr Joe Fan; and the Deputising Chief Executive of the Hospital Authority, Dr Simon Tang, of the Hong Kong delegation also joined the visit programme today. They returned to Hong Kong afterwards this afternoon.
Secretary for Health expresses sorrow over passing of former Chairman of Medical Council of HK Professor Joseph Lau
7.2.2024

The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, expressed deep condolences over the passing of the former Chairman of the Medical Council of Hong Kong (MCHK), Professor Joseph Lau, and extended his deepest sympathies to Professor Lau's family today (February 7). Professor Lo said, "Professor Lau has made remarkable achievements in the medical field throughout his life as a world renowned expert in hepato-pancreato-biliary surgery. He was elected as an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2003, honouring his instrumental stature in the medical community. "Professor Lau was committed to the medical development of Hong Kong. He was a former President of the College of Surgeons of Hong Kong. He also served on the MCHK for over 22 years and just retired from the MCHK last month after serving as its Chairman for more than 11 years. During his service, Professor Lau spared no effort in upholding the professional standards of doctors and pushing ahead the enhancements to the regulatory framework. As a research professor of the Faculty of Medicine of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Professor Lau has devoted himself to teaching and research, having nurtured countless surgeons at home and abroad over the years. In 2013, he was awarded the Silver Bauhinia Star by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government in recognition of his contributions to society, in particular the medical field. "Professor Lau cared deeply about his patients, showed great dedication to teach medical students from all backgrounds, and carried out research diligently. His lifelong contribution to the medical community in Hong Kong has earned him much respect and he will be dearly missed. Together with my colleagues in the Health Bureau, the Department of Health and the Hospital Authority, I extend our deepest sympathies to Professor Lau's family."
Secretary for Health meets expert delegation of national chest pain centres (with photo)
29.1.2024

The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, met with an expert delegation led by Professor Ge Junbo, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, today (January 29). The delegation comprising experts of various national chest pain centres are here to exchange views on the establishment of Hong Kong's first chest pain centre that will meet national accreditation standards. At the meeting, Professor Lo expressed his gratitude to the experts for visiting Hong Kong from different places in the Mainland to offer guidance and exchange views on national accreditation standards of chest pain centres. He introduced to the delegation the latest policy initiatives of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government relating to the establishment of the chest pain centre and cross-boundary medical collaboration. Professor Lo said, "The HKSAR Government has all along been committed to enhancing public healthcare services, with a view to making optimal use of valuable healthcare resources for providing services that best suit the public. Among these, the Chief Executive put forward in the 2023 Policy Address the initiative to establish Hong Kong's first chest pain centre in Queen Mary Hospital (QMH) in 2025 in accordance with national accreditation standards. The initiative aims to further streamline the treatment protocols for patients suffering from cardiovascular diseases, thus shortening the treatment duration as much as possible, achieving better treatment results and boosting the survival rate. In addition, the HKSAR Government and the Hospital Authority (HA) are actively taking forward high-quality healthcare talent training and exchange programmes between Hong Kong and the Mainland. "Under the principle of 'complementarity and mutual benefits' and on the premise of benefitting the healthcare development of both the Mainland and Hong Kong, the HKSAR Government will continue to work together with various counterparts on the Mainland in reinforcing collaboration on healthcare service development with a view to levelling up the healthcare quality together." The Chairman of the China Chest Pain Centre Accreditation Committee, Professor Huo Yong, also joined the expert delegation. During the delegation's stay in Hong Kong, they will attend a chest pain centre forum in QMH to share national experiences in implementing standardised treatment protocols for high-risk acute chest pain such as acute myocardial infarction, and the national accreditation standards. They will conduct an inspection and a clinical demonstration in QMH to support the initiative of establishing a chest pain centre in Hong Kong and facilitate academic exchanges and collaboration. Moreover, the delegation will visit Prince of Wales Hospital and Queen Elizabeth Hospital to meet and have exchanges with the clinical healthcare staff. The Permanent Secretary for Health, Mr Thomas Chan, the Chief Executive of the HA, Dr Tony Ko, and other representatives of the Health Bureau and the HA also attended the meeting today.
Secretary for Health visits School of Medicine of Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen (with photos)
19.1.2024

The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, visited the School of Medicine of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen (CUHK-Shenzhen) today (January 19). Professor Lo met with the Founding Dean of the School, Professor Davy Cheng, and received a briefing on the School's efforts in teaching and scientific research, as well as its future development plans. Professor Lo then visited two research laboratories led by Nobel Laureates, namely the Arieh Warshel Institute of Computational Biology and the Kobilka Institute of Innovative Drug Discovery, to learn about their research outcomes in various areas and talent strengths. He also visited the direct affiliated hospital of CUHK-Shenzhen, currently under construction. âProfessor Lo and his team also took the opportunity to get a better grasp of the latest developments in healthcare services and medical talent training in Shenzhen, with a view to further enhancing the exchange and co-operation between the two places. Professor Lo said, "Under the principle of complementarity and mutual benefits, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government strives to drive the city's healthcare exchanges and collaboration with the Mainland on all fronts, particularly on nurturing medical talent and advancing research in medical technology, with a view to enhancing the quality and efficiency of healthcare services of both places to give a strong impetus for building 'Healthy China'." The Under Secretary for Health, Dr Libby Lee; the Director of Health, Dr Ronald Lam; and the Chief Executive of the Hospital Authority, Dr Tony Ko, accompanied Professor Lo on the visit today.
Secretary for Health meets Guangdong Province Hospital Association delegation (with photos)
16.1.2024

The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, met with a delegation led by the President of the Guangdong Province Hospital Association, Professor Huang Li, today (January 16) to exchange views on deepening medical co-operation between the Mainland and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). At the meeting, Professor Lo introduced to the delegation the latest policy initiatives on cross-boundary medical collaboration put forward by the HKSAR Government, including the extension of coverage of the Elderly Health Care Voucher Scheme on the Mainland, cross-boundary medical services as well as high-quality healthcare talent training and exchange programmes. Professor Lo said, "The HKSAR Government attaches great importance to cross-boundary medical collaboration. In his 2023 Policy Address, the Chief Executive adopted for the first time 'Cross-boundary Medical Collaboration' as one of the subtitles and proposed a number of specific measures, including the establishment of the Greater Bay Area International Clinical Trial Institute to achieve concerted development in clinical trials with the Mainland; participation in and support to the internationalisation of national hospital accreditation standards; the roll-out of the Elderly Health Care Voucher Greater Bay Area Pilot Scheme; utilising eHealth digital health records to support cross-boundary medical collaboration in the Greater Bay Area; provision of direct cross-boundary ambulance service; and promotion of the accreditation standards of national chest pain centres. "Under the principle of complementarity and mutual benefits and on the premise of benefitting the healthcare development of both the Mainland and Hong Kong, the HKSAR Government has all along been working together with various counterparts on the Mainland in reinforcing co-operation on healthcare service developments with a view to levelling up the healthcare quality. Looking ahead, we will remain committed to fostering cross-boundary medical co-operation so as to propel the important national strategy of 'Healthy China' through concerted contribution." Deputy Secretary for Health Mr Eddie Lee; the Senior Advisor (Secretary for Health's Office), Dr Joe Fan; the Director of Cluster Services of the Hospital Authority (HA), Dr Simon Tang; and representatives of the Health Bureau, the Department of Health and the HA also attended the meeting today.