Secretary for Health continues attending 76th World Health Assembly in Geneva (with photos)
23.5.2023

The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, on May 22 (Geneva time) continued to attend the 76th World Health Assembly (WHA) of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, Switzerland. On the second day of the WHA, Professor Lo and the Director of Health, Dr Ronald Lam, attended the plenary session during which the Vice-minister of the National Health Commission, Mr Cao Xuetao, delivered a speech on healthcare development in the Mainland. In addition to attending the plenary session, Professor Lo and Dr Lam also took the opportunity to exchange views on healthcare-related issues with senior officials of the WHO. During the meeting with the Head of Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine Unit of the WHO, Dr Kim Sungchol, and the Director of the Integrated Health Service Department, Universal Health Coverage, Dr Rudi Eggers, Professor Lo introduced the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government's multi-pronged efforts in promoting the development of Chinese medicine (CM) in Hong Kong. Professor Lo said, "As CM is an integral part of Hong Kong's healthcare system, the HKSAR Government has all along been committed to promoting the development of CM on various fronts including policy and regulation, talent nurturing, research and innovation, CM services and the CM drug industry, with a view to bringing the strengths and functions of CM into full play. "In terms of CM service development, the HKSAR Government has established a comprehensive network for the delivery of government-subsidised CM services, involving outpatient services provided by 18 Chinese Medicine Clinics and Training cum Research Centres at the district level, integrated Chinese-Western medicine services for selected disease areas, as well as outpatient and inpatient services to be provided by Hong Kong's first-of-its-kind Chinese Medicine Hospital, which is expected to commence services by phases starting from 2025. "Looking ahead, the HKSAR Government will also jointly formulate an overall CM blueprint in collaboration with the CM sector to drive further the long-term development of CM in Hong Kong on all fronts in a more focused manner. The HKSAR Government will also continue to maintain close contact with stakeholders in the Mainland and around the world, in a bid to deepen exchanges and co-operation with various places in the field of CM," Professor Lo added. In a separate meeting with the Unit Head of the No Tobacco Unit, Health Promotion Team of WHO, Dr Vinayak Prasad, and the Unit Head of the Physical Activity, Health Promotion Team of WHO, Dr Fiona Bull, Professor Lo introduced the HKSAR Government's efforts in tobacco control. "With our tobacco control efforts in the past 40 years, Hong Kong's smoking prevalence has reached an all-time low of 9.5 per cent now from 23 per cent in early 1980s. Our target is to further reduce smoking prevalence to 7.8 per cent by 2025. To achieve this target, we shall issue a consultation document next month to consult the public on various measures, aiming to cut down the supply and demand of tobacco products, reduce the attractiveness of such products, protect the public from the harm of second-hand smoke, and strengthen the provision of smoking cessation services," Professor Lo said. Professor Lo and Dr Lam attended the 76th WHA as members of the Chinese delegation. They will depart from Geneva on May 23 (Geneva time) and arrive in Hong Kong on May 24 (Hong Kong time).