The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     The Hospital Authority (HA) spokesperson announced the following senior appointment today (April 25):
 
     Dr Sin Ngai-chuen will be appointed as the Hospital Chief Executive of Bradbury Hospice, Cheshire Home, Shatin and Shatin Hospital with effect from January 1, 2020, succeeding Dr Herman Lau upon his retirement.
 
     Dr Sin is a paediatrician by background. He is currently the Chief Manager (Patient Safety and Risk Management) at the HA Head Office. In his current position, Dr Sin oversees incident management in the HA and undertakes various related policy reviews and enhancements, e.g. the implication of the Apology Ordinance, corporate policy on open disclosure and related staff training. Dr Sin also oversees the clinical service development in respect of paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology, orthopaedics and ophthalmology.
 
     Dr Sin is a seasoned senior executive with exposure both at the corporate and cluster levels. Prior to his current position, he served in senior management positions in Kowloon East Cluster, including Chief Manager (Service Planning) and Service Director (Quality and Safety).
 
     The HA Chairman, Professor John Leong, and the HA Chief Executive, Dr Leung Pak-yin, congratulated Dr Sin on his new appointment and wished him every success in taking up the new post. Professor Leong and Dr Leung also expressed appreciation to Dr Lau for his dedicated service over the years and wished him a happy retirement.

  

     Following is the speech by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, at the thematic forum on sub-national co-operation of the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing this afternoon (April 25):

     Madam Li Xiaolin (President of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries), Mayor Chen Jining (Mayor of Beijing), your excellencies, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

     Good afternoon. It gives me great pleasure to attend today's forum on regional co-operation, and to share a few thoughts on Hong Kong's position as an international gateway for Belt and Road regional co-operation.

     Hong Kong is Asia's world city. We are one of the most competitive cities in the world, and faithfully practise a free and open economy. Our strategic geographical location as a bi-directional gateway connecting the Mainland and other Belt and Road countries and world-class infrastructure have underpinned Hong Kong as an international financial, transportation and trade centre as well as an international aviation hub. Moreover, under "One Country, Two Systems", Hong Kong enjoys a high degree of autonomy in conducting its external affairs and has established extensive and strong overseas connections. We strongly believe that these unique advantages well position Hong Kong to play a pivotal role in enhancing international and regional co-operation in the context of the Belt and Road Initiative.

     In terms of trade and economic co-operation, Hong Kong has been actively seeking to forge stronger ties by, for example, signing Free Trade Agreements and Investment Promotion and Protection Agreements with our Belt and Road partners. The Hong Kong-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement scheduled to take effect later this year and our three Economic and Trade Offices in Singapore, Jakarta and Bangkok will surely deepen our co-operation in the Southeast Asian region.

     But Hong Kong is not only about business. Hong Kong also offers a platform for cultural exchanges between East and West, and can play a key role in enhancing people-to-people bonds. Our arts development, architecture, traditions, cultural heritage, cuisine and religions are a testimony of the harmonious integration of different cultures. We encourage our people to reach out to the diverse cultures, such as by sponsoring arts performance and youth exchanges through different funding schemes, and providing scholarships to encourage outstanding students from Belt and Road countries to study in Hong Kong universities.

     And as a well-developed city with rich experience in city management, Hong Kong is prepared to share our knowledge and expertise with our Belt and Road counterparts in a variety of fields, such as airport management, railway operation, emergency services, green and sustainable development, etc. Indeed, I have made capacity building one of Hong Kong's contributions to the Belt and Road's people-to-people connectivity.

     To give you some examples, our world-renowned Independent Commission Against Corruption has connected with over 40 Belt and Road countries to provide training and other forms of assistance to their anti-corruption agencies. Our disciplined services departments, such as the Police and the Fire Services Department, are offering training programmes for their overseas counterparts.

     Our MTR Corporation, which has a long history of providing safe, reliable and efficient railway services, established the MTR Academy in 2016 for training personnel in railway management and operation worldwide. In 2017 and 2018, over 400 executives from 22 countries attended its programmes. Likewise, our Airport Authority, which manages one of the best airports in the world, established the International Aviation Academy in 2016 to train local and regional air transport management talents. So far, participants from eight Belt and Road countries have joined a master programme in air transport management offered by the Academy. We will continue our efforts, with a view to further strengthening our ties with other Belt and Road economies.

     As today's forum is on regional co-operation, I must mention the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area development. Featuring "one country", "two systems", "three customs territories", "three legal systems", etc, the Greater Bay Area development is an ideal example of how economies with different characteristics can work together to achieve a win-win outcome.

     For those who are less familiar with the Greater Bay Area, it is the most vibrant region of China covering an area of 56 000 square kilometres. It brings together the two Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macao as well as nine flourishing cities in the Guangdong Province. Collectively, they represent a population of over 70 million people and a combined GDP of US$1.6 trillion.

     As a national development strategy, the Greater Bay Area is destined to be a key engine for regional co-operation and joint development. According to the Outline Development Plan of the development promulgated by the Central Government in February this year, the Greater Bay Area is set to provide solid support for the Belt and Road Initiative. Hong Kong will for sure leverage on our strengths and advantages that I just mentioned and make the best contribution to these two initiatives.

     Ladies and gentlemen, Hong Kong is geared up to actively participate in the Belt and Road Initiative. We look forward to working with you all, with a view to achieving inclusive and sustainable growth for all. Thank you very much.

    

     The Department of Health (DH) today (April 25) announced the latest arrangement of the control and prevention strategy against measles at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA).

     A spokesman for the DH said, "Since the outbreak of measles infection identified at the airport, the DH has implemented control measures including vaccination and blood test services for people working at the airport who are non-immune to measles and most in need. As of 1pm today, a total of 8 278 vaccinations and 648 blood tests were given.

     "After reviewing the number of people who turned up in the past two weeks, we believe that the majority of eligible airport staff under our existing target groups have received vaccination or blood testing. Taking into consideration the latest local supply of measles vaccines, we will further update the control and prevention strategy at the airport with a view to providing vaccination for more airport staff who are non-immune to measles."

     From April 29 to May 17 (excluding Sundays and public holidays), measles vaccination will be provided to airport staff who:

(1) Were born in or after 1967, and have not received two doses of measles vaccination, and have not been infected with measles before; or

(2) Have laboratory evidence of testing not positive against measles antibody (IgG).

     The vaccination quota for the measles vaccination station at the airport will be increased to 600 doses daily. The venue and operation hours of the airport vaccination station are as follows:
 

     As for the blood test service, the DH will continue to provide the measles serology test service to about 200 airport staff who were born in or after 1967 daily on April 30 and May 2 and 7.

     The venue and operation hours of the airport blood test station are as follows:
 

     In parallel, the DH will launch a pilot service at the blood test station during the same designated dates and times to provide measles serology testing for about a total of 200 Filipino foreign domestic helpers who are coming or returning to work in Hong Kong.

     Leaflets will be distributed at the gates of flights arriving from the Philippines. Relevant airlines operating flights from the Philippines have been informed of the arrangement.

     The spokesman explained, "Through the pilot service, the DH hopes to better grasp the overall immunity against measles among Filipino foreign domestic helpers working in Hong Kong. Participants will be informed of the results individually and measles vaccination will be provided to those who do not test positive for measles antibody."

     The spokesman added, "With the coverage of measles vaccination service extended, the blood test station at the airport will be closed after May 7."

     The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (April 25) that in view of a notification from the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) about an outbreak of low-pathogenic H5 avian influenza in Monterey County, California, the United States (US), the CFS has instructed the trade to suspend the import of poultry meat and products, including poultry eggs, from the county with immediate effect to protect public health in Hong Kong.

     A CFS spokesman said that Hong Kong imported about 275 000 tonnes of chilled and frozen poultry meat and 550 million poultry eggs from the US last year.

     "The CFS has contacted the US authorities over the issue and will closely monitor information issued by the OIE on avian influenza outbreaks. Appropriate action will be taken in response to the development of the situation," the spokesman said.
 

     A spokesman for the Housing Department (HD) today (April 25) reminded residents of public rental housing (PRH) estates to declare truthfully their income and assets.

     A PRH resident living at Tin Heng Estate in Tin Shui Wai declared on a 2018 Income and Asset Declaration Form to have no domestic property ownership in Hong Kong and that the total household net asset value did not exceed 100 times the prevailing PRH Income Limit (the asset limit for that household was $2.4 million). Subsequent investigation revealed that the resident owned four domestic properties in Hong Kong at the time of declaration and the estimated market value was about $11.26 million. 

     The defendant was prosecuted by the HD for making a false statement knowingly, contrary to Section 26(1)(a) of the Housing Ordinance. The defendant was previously convicted by the presiding magistrate in Tuen Mun Magistrates' Courts, who considered a fine punishment could not reflect the gravity of the offence. After making reference to the probation report, the defendant was sentenced ­160­ hours' community service order today.

     The spokesman said that households living in PRH should complete their income and asset declaration forms accurately, which forms the foundation for the assessment of rent and their eligibility for continuing residence. Before making the declarations, households should read the content and completion guidelines of the income and asset declaration form carefully and compute their income and assets in accordance with the methods specified. Otherwise, they may be prosecuted for making a false statement knowingly, contrary to Section 26(1)(a) of the Housing Ordinance (if convicted, the maximum penalty is a $50,000 fine and imprisonment for six months) or be prosecuted for neglecting to furnish information as specified in a declaration form, contrary to Section 27(a) of the Housing Ordinance (if convicted, the maximum penalty is a $25,000 fine and imprisonment for three months).

     Notwithstanding the above, the HD will take action to recover the undercharged rent incurred due to the inaccurate information. According to the revised "Well-off Tenants Policies" endorsed in December 2016, PRH households with domestic property ownership in Hong Kong or their total household net asset value exceeding 100 times the prevailing PRH Income Limit, irrespective of their levels of household income, will be required to vacate their PRH flats.