The Secretary for Food and Health, Professor Sophia Chan, today (May 17, Netherlands time) visited the Netherlands to learn more about the country’s latest developments in primary healthcare services.
During a visit to Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC) in the morning, Professor Chan introduced details of Hong Kong's primary healthcare development to Professor A M van Hemert, Professor Niels Chavannes, Professor Jessica Kiefte-de Jong and Professor Douwe Atsma.
"To effectively change the current focus of our healthcare services on treatment and to alleviate the pressure on public hospitals, the Government of the Hong Kong Administrative Region is committed to enhancing district-based primary healthcare services with an emphasis on medical-social collaboration and public-private partnership," Professor Chan said.
"The Government will set up a District Health Centre (DHC) progressively in all districts in Hong Kong. The services offered in the DHCs will focus on primary, secondary and tertiary prevention, including health promotion, health assessment, chronic disease management and community rehabilitation.
"With scientific research playing a vital role in public health and primary care, I believe that the visit to LUMC will enlighten us on how DHCs can make use of scientific evidence in enhancing population health," she said.
In the afternoon, Professor Chan visited Buurtzorg Nederland, a healthcare organisation with a nurse-led model to provide community care in the Netherlands.
At a meeting with the Chief Executive Officer of Buurtzorg Nederland, Mr Josephus Bernardus Imelda de Blok, Professor Chan said, "The roles and functions of nurses are evolving in response to the development of primary healthcare. Nurses play a crucial role in co-ordinating the services to be provided to patients in a comprehensive manner, serving as case managers in particular in primary care.
"The visit to Buurtzorg Nederland will be of great reference value to the operation model of DHCs and the primary healthcare development in Hong Kong."
Professor Chan will depart for Geneva, Switzerland, tomorrow (May 18, Netherlands time) to attend the 72nd World Health Assembly of the World Health Organization.
Follow this news feed: East Asia