The Secretary for Food and Health, Professor Sophia Chan, today (May 23) visited Sham Shui Po to inspect the rodent prevention and control work. Following is the transcript of remarks made by Professor Chan at a media session:
Reporter: Are you happy with the hygiene conditions here after your inspection? And what additional measures would be introduced to tackle the problem?
Secretary for Food and Health: Just now, I visited some of the back lanes and also this public housing estate (Un Chau Estate). It is very important not only for the work of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department but also cross-department and cross-bureau collaboration. The Housing Department as well as the Highways Department, together with the Home Affairs Bureau and the District Council, together we have different measures on rodent control. They are working very hard on the environmental hygiene issues. We have also given some health education pamphlets to residents so that they can also keep their personal as well as environmental hygiene. Regarding resources, I think the Government is ready to provide more resources both in terms of manpower and equipment. To ensure that the environment is clean, we will also strengthen our enforcement action especially in dealing with restaurants putting refuse at back lanes, as well as strengthening public education and publicity. We will be moving ahead with all these. But, I would also like to appeal to the general public: rodent control not only involves the work of the government departments, but also private housing management as well as the general public at large. If we can work together, I am sure we can do more and better in our rodent control work.
(Please also refer to the Chinese version of the transcript.)
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