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The Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Mr Tse Chin-wan, together with the Legislative Council Panel on Environmental Affairs, today (August 9) concluded their duty visit to three cities in the Greater Bay Area.
The delegation visited the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station in the morning and listened to a briefing on the production of nuclear power and the development of nuclear energy technology in the Mainland. The Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station is the country’s first large-scale commercial nuclear power plant that introduced advanced technology, equipment and capital. It has been providing Hong Kong with a safe and stable power supply, serving as a model of energy co-operation between the Mainland and Hong Kong.
In the afternoon, the delegation visited the waste incineration facility and the science education exhibition hall at the Nanshan Energy Eco-Park in Shenzhen, and exchanged views with the authorities on planning, construction and operation of waste incineration facilities, learning about Shenzhen’s abundant experience and technological advantages with a view to promoting the development of a network of municipal solid waste incineration facilities in Hong Kong. The Nanshan Energy Eco-Park, which has a daily treatment capacity of 2 300 tonnes of domestic waste, is located in an upscale commercial and residential area. The Eco-Park has showcased how advanced and efficient waste incineration facilities can be harmonised with neighbouring commercial and residential areas.
Mr Tse said, “By observing cities around the world, it can be seen that many advanced cities have achieved the transformation of waste into resources through waste incineration for generation of electricity. Our country has also made great efforts in developing waste-to-energy technology and reached a world-class level. The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region will continue to vigorously promote waste reduction at source and clean recycling. The Government will also adopt advanced technology for developing waste-to-energy facilities to replace landfills, integrating with public amenities or green tourism concepts to maximise synergy through co-locating public facilities that can widely benefit members of the public.”
The delegation concluded their duty visit to three cities in the Greater Bay Area. Mr Tse will proceed to Zhejiang Province in the evening to continue the visit.
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The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, attended the Organ Donation Promotion Forum organised by the Hospital Authority (HA) and inspected Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH)’s work on the establishment of the Kowloon Central Cluster Integrated Neuroscience Centre, as well as the HA’s Head Office Major Incident Control Centre (HOMICC) and Emergency Operation Command (HAEOC) today (August 9), thereby showing support for organ donation and transplant work in Hong Kong, and getting a better grasp of the services assisting patients who are suffering from complex neurological diseases and the operation of the HA’s emergency response system.
Accompanied by the Chairman of the HA, Mr Henry Fan, and the Chief Executive of the HA, Dr Tony Ko, Professor Lo and the Under Secretary for Health, Dr Libby Lee, attended the Organ Donation Promotion Forum arranged for healthcare staff of the Kowloon Central Cluster of the HA at QEH. At the Forum, representatives of the HA Head Office, organ transplant experts and representatives from the Department of Health introduced the organ transplant mechanism of the Mainland, the organ transplant services and the operation of the Centralised Organ Donation Register (CODR) in Hong Kong, as well as the Government’s efforts to promote organ donation respectively.
Addressing the Forum, Professor Lo said, “Organ donation is a selfless and generous act of benevolence to save lives. I have every confidence that frontline healthcare staff will set a good example by devoting their support for organ donation and encouraging their relatives and friends to register on the CODR. Furthermore, the Government fully backs the HA in strengthening staff training to solidify the role of healthcare professionals in pushing ahead with the work on organ donation and transplant, such that they can actively give full play to cultivate an environment favouring registration for organ donation registration, thereby drumming up society’s support for organ donation at large.”
Professor Lo added, “At present, over 2 600 patients suffering from organ failure have been waiting for organ transplant in Hong Kong, while there are only some 30 deceased donors each year. A downward trend is observed in recent years under the impact of COVID-19 epidemic, with the supply of organs falling far behind the demand. In this connection, we are actively exploring with relevant Mainland authorities the establishment of a standing organ transplant mutual assistance mechanism, with a view to giving patients of the two places an extra chance for a new life through such cross-boundary mutual assistance.”
The Organ Donation Promotion Forums are being held in seven hospital clusters and the HA Head Office from August onwards for several weeks in a row.
Professor Lo proceeded to inspect QEH’s work on the establishment of the Kowloon Central Cluster Integrated Neuroscience Centre and learnt about the multi-disciplinary team’s support for patients suffering from complex neurological diseases and provision of one-stop services in diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation. The Chief Executive set out in last year’s Policy Address that the HA would set up integrated neuroscience centres. QEH is one of the hospitals which took the lead to set up such centres.
Separately, Professor Lo also visited the Hospital Command Centre in QEH and received a briefing by healthcare staff on the hospital’s daily management of clinical operations, bed turnover and resources allocation as well as how the hospital leverages technology to enhance efficiency and improve treatment procedures for patients, thus driving the development of Smart Hospital in the long run.
During his visit to the HA’s HOMICC and HAEOC afterwards, Professor Lo received a briefing by staff on the HA’s three-level emergency response system, and gained a better understanding of how the HOMICC maintains close communication with relevant government departments when major incidents occur (including civil disasters, infectious diseases and other major crises and events) to keep abreast of the latest situation and co-ordinate cross-cluster allocation of resources for prompt provision of comprehensive emergency services to the injured. In addition, he also learnt from the staff about how the HAEOC made use of real-time data of hospitals during the COVID-19 epidemic to directly mobilise resources including beds and manpower and transfer patients to appropriate hospitals or relevant facilities for treatment by adopting a “seven-in-one” model steering cross-cluster co-ordination.
Professor Lo said, “Having handled various major incidents since its inception, the round-the-clock operation of the MICC during the epidemic plays an important part in Hong Kong’s victory over the epidemic. The experiences gained during the epidemic are conducive to enhancing the contingency capability of the healthcare system of Hong Kong for better preparation for any possible major incident that may happen in the future.”
Professor Lo expressed his gratitude to the HA for maintaining close collaboration with various government departments in safeguarding the health of Hong Kong people over the years. He was also proud of the endeavour and contributions of all healthcare personnel. He said that the Government will continue to fully support the work of the HA to ensure the sustainable development of the public healthcare system in Hong Kong.
The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:
The delegation of the Legislative Council Panel on Environmental Affairs and the delegation of the Environment and Ecology Bureau concluded the three-day duty visit to Mainland cities of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) today (August 9) and returned to Hong Kong in the evening.
In the morning, the delegations continued the visit in Shenzhen. The delegations first visited the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station to understand the operation of the nuclear power station and the development of nuclear power technology. The Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station is the country’s first large-scale commercial nuclear power plant in which advanced technology and equipment have been introduced. It provides Hong Kong with a safe and stable power supply and sets the model for energy co-operation between the Mainland and Hong Kong. Members noted the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station has developed a stringent training programme and comprehensive training facilities to ensure operational safety.
In the afternoon, the delegations visited Nanshan Energy Ecological Park located in the Qianhai Free Trade Zone, to learn more about Shenzhen’s experiences of planning, constructing and operating waste incineration facilities in tackling the situation of “the city being surrounded by rubbish”. The Park processes 2 300 tonnes of domestic waste per day. Adjacent residential developments and a new mixed commercial and residential area to be developed, the Park shows that advanced and efficient modern incineration facilities can coexist with commercial and residential areas nearby. Members also understood that all domestic waste in Shenzhen are processed through incineration.
In summing up the three-day duty visit, the leader of the delegation, Ms Elizabeth Quat, described the visit as successful. “Through understanding the application of new energy transport, hydrogen energy and renewable energy technologies in the three Mainland cities of the GBA, as well as meeting and exchanging experiences with Mainland Government officials and representatives of various enterprises, it will help our discussions with the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to deepen cross-border collaboration in environmental issues with the GBA cities. It will also help promote the development of green transport in Hong Kong,” Ms Quat said.
The Panel on Environmental Affairs’ delegation is led by the Chairman of the Panel, Ms Elizabeth Quat. Other participating Members include Panel members Mr Frankie Yick, Dr Lo Wai-kwok, and Mr Chan Pui-leung; as well as non-Panel member Mr Andrew Lam. The Environment and Ecology Bureau’s delegation is led by the Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Mr Tse Chin-wan.
