​The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, attended the kick-off ceremony of the Greater Bay Area Medical Experience Camp 2023 of the University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital in Shenzhen today (July 31) and encouraged youngsters who have a passion to practise in the healthcare profession to work hard to equip themselves so as to get well-prepared for serving the society and people with healthcare needs in the future.
Organised into two sessions during July and August, the Camp aims to enrich students with the sense of safeguarding lives and well-being of people by allowing them to learn more about the professional work of healthcare personnel through a five-day on-the-job experience. Some 50 students from the Mainland, Hong Kong and Macao have signed up for the Camp.
Addressing the ceremony, Professor Lo urged students who are passionate in joining the healthcare profession to keep their faith and aspiration in becoming a healthcare professional and always serve the best interests of patients when safeguarding citizens' health.
Professor Lo also reminded the students to be mindful of the mission and responsibilities as the young generation. He said, "President Xi Jinping in his letter replying to Hong Kong secondary school students called on the students to delve into the history and culture of the country and national affairs, as well as strengthening their affection for and sense of belonging to the country. He also urged the students to sharpen their skills and abilities such that they can shoulder great responsibilities and make contributions to building an even better Hong Kong and advancing national rejuvenation."
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government has been actively promoting exchanges and collaboration between the Mainland and Hong Kong in the healthcare area at different levels. The Camp sets a perfect example of fostering exchanges among outstanding secondary school students from Hong Kong, Macao and the Mainland, while allowing them to experience in person the collaboration between healthcare professionals from Shenzhen and Hong Kong and get a better glimpse of the nation's healthcare development.
"Looking back, the Mainland mobilised a medical support team to assist Hong Kong in treating COVID-19 patients at a time when the city was hard hit by the epidemic. The seamless collaboration of Mainland and Hong Kong medical teams reinforced the healthcare co-operation between the two places. The HKSAR Government will continue to press ahead with the healthcare exchanges between the two places while further expanding the scope thereof. It is my wish that through various channels of exchanges and learning at different levels, a sustainable mechanism for healthcare professionals and the young people of the Mainland and Hong Kong will be in place for them to draw on experience of each other," Professor Lo said.
"In the long-run, the healthcare exchange programmes of the two places will be conducive to enhancing the overall quality of healthcare services in the Greater Bay Area (GBA). The Health Bureau will keep pursuing co-operation with various cities of the GBA under the principles of complementarity and mutual benefits and on the premise of benefitting the healthcare development of both the Mainland and Hong Kong."
Professor Lo also met with officials of the Shenzhen Municipal Health Commission to exchange views on deepening medical collaboration between Shenzhen and Hong Kong before departing from Shenzhen.
