Author Archives: hksar gov

     The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, departed from Geneva for Basel yesterday (May 29, Basel time) to begin visit in Switzerland. 

     In Basel, Professor Lo led a delegation to visit multinational pharmaceutical and healthcare companies Novartis and Roche respectively, and met with their senior management to learn about the pharmaceutical groups’ latest developments in research and development (R&D) of drugs, as well as reimagining medicine by using innovative science and technology. The delegation also visited Novartis Pavillon which illustrates the past, present, and future of medicine, healthcare and sciences in a digital and interactive manner to promote popularisation of science and technology.

     At the meetings, Professor Lo highlighted the initiatives put forward by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government in developing Hong Kong into a health and medical innovation hub, including strengthening the regulatory and approval regimes of drugs and medical devices, as well as promoting the development of clinical trial industry.

     Professor Lo said, “The Chief Executive announced in the 2023 Policy Address that the HKSAR Government will enhance the prevailing evaluation, approval and registration mechanism for drugs as well as establish an internationally recognised regulatory authority for drugs and medical devices with the long-term objective of setting up an authority which registers drugs and medical devices under the ‘primary evaluation’ approach. All these aim at accelerating the clinical use of new drugs and medical devices, and spurring the development of industries relating to the R&D and clinical trial of drugs and medical devices.”

     “Following the announcement of the Policy Address, the HKSAR Government has been making proactive moves on all fronts and has scored certain achievements in just six months, including the formal acceptance by the International Council for Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use as its observer and the implementation of the new drug approval mechanism, known as the ‘1+’ mechanism, respectively on October 31 and November 1 last year. The HKSAR Government will set up the preparatory office for the Hong Kong Centre for Medical Products Regulation (CMPR) in the first half of this year to study the restructuring and strengthening of the regulatory and approval regime for drugs, medical devices and technologies, and put forward proposals and steps for establishing the CMPR which will be a step towards the transition to the ‘primary evaluation’ approach.”

     “Moreover, the HKSAR Government will establish the Greater Bay Area International Clinical Trial Institute in the Hetao area by the end of this year to provide one-stop clinical trial support services, with a view to further ramping up the capacity and efficiency of clinical trials in Hong Kong and transforming the city into a leading clinical trial hub in Asia.”

     Professor Lo encouraged pharmaceutical firms in Switzerland to leverage the “1+” mechanism to introduce new drugs to Hong Kong to meet local healthcare needs, and take advantage of the measure of using Hong Kong-registered drugs and medical devices used in Hong Kong public hospitals in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area to benefit patients in Mainland cities there. He also called on Swiss pharmaceutical firms to conduct clinical trials in Hong Kong to leverage the unparalleled advantages of the HKSAR, so as to promote the translation and clinical application of advanced biomedical technologies.

     The delegation consists of members including Deputy Secretary for Health Ms Elaine Mak, and officials of the Health Bureau and the Department of Health. The delegation proceeded to Zurich at night and will continue their visit in Switzerland on May 30 (Zurich time). 

read more

     Following is the speech by the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, at the High-level Remarks and Announcement session of the Bay to Bay Dialogue between the California Bay Area and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area on May 29 (California time):
 
尊敬的王å�‰ä¸­çœ�é•· (Governor of Guangdong Province, Mr Wang Weizhong)ã€�尊敬的楊è�¬æ˜Žæœƒé•· (President of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, Mr Yang Wanming)ã€�æ­�陽瑜å�¸é•· (Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao Special Administrative Region, Ms Ao Ieong U)ã€�張建æ•�總領事 (Consul General of China in San Francisco, Mr Zhang Jianmin), Governor Newsom (Governor of California, Mr Gavin Newsom), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
 
     Good morning.
 
     It gives me great pleasure to be back in the United States, and in San Francisco, long one of my favourite cities. I was here only six months ago for the annual APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) meeting.  
 
     I’m back this time, pleased to engage in dialogue between the world’s two largest economies – China and the United States.
 
     Given the many pressing issues we face today, from climate change to geopolitical crises, it is more crucial than ever that we maintain open and candid communication. 
 
     Starting with our two Bay areas. There is  much we can work together on.
 
     Today’s event, together with the signing of MoUs (Memorandums of Understanding) and consensus we’ve reached, lays a solid foundation for our co-operation.    
 
     And Hong Kong would be pleased to play an important role in this regard. Thanks to the “one country, two systems” principle, we have long been the “super connector” between China and the rest of the world.
 
     We enjoy convenient and sometimes even priority access to the mainland market. No less important, we have a longstanding international reputation for co-operation, a wealth of experience in East and West developments, and an extensive global network connecting people and businesses.  
 
     And our “one country, two systems” principle is alive and well, whatever you may have read or heard from the media. Our common law system and rule of law remain robust. We are the only jurisdiction in China to follow common law. Capital, people, goods and information continue to flow freely in and out of Hong Kong. Our business regulations and practices align with the best international standards.
 
     And we maintain a simple and low tax system and a freely convertible currency pegged to the US dollar.
 
     I can elaborate on these and other salutary points and compelling facts, but the best way to appreciate Hong Kong is to see it for yourselves. And I invite you to do so. There’s never been a better time.
 
     Between July and year’s end, we’re organising a major event every few days in Hong Kong. Everything from culture and arts attractions to sports and festive events, business, finance, technology and a good many other high-profile international gatherings. There’s something happening everywhere you look in Hong Kong.
 
     Certainly, our two Bay Areas can explore greater co-operation on climate change, an area Hong Kong has a particular interest in, as a rising green tech and green finance centre.
 
     I talked about this in the panel discussion just now. 
 
     But let me say how pleased I am that our Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau has reached an understanding with the California-China Climate Institute to strengthen co-operation, to enhance communication, knowledge exchange and capacity building in areas ranging from sustainable finance and green fintech to carbon market developments, climate risk analysis and sustainability disclosures. Talent training for climate action is also in the works, I’m pleased to note.
 
     The University of Hong Kong’s Institute for Climate and Carbon Neutrality and the California-China Climate Institute have also reached an understanding to co-operate.  It aims to strengthen thought exchanges, visits and talent training by forging close collaboration with think tanks, higher education institutes, and more.  
 
     I hope, too, that we can encourage financial and technological exchanges. The global gap for green funding and technology is enormous, measured in trillions of US dollars. Let’s turn this need into opportunities.  The success of the net-zero transition will ultimately depend on how well, and how fast, we work together. 
 
     When it comes to investment and business, Hong Kong is your ideal base for exploring opportunities in the Greater Bay Area (Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area), throughout the Mainland and across Asia.
 
     Life and health-tech companies in the Silicon Valley, for example, will find Hong Kong an ideal base for research and business expansion in Asia.
 
     Our two medical schools are among the world’s top 40, and Hong Kong is home to numerous world-class scholars and research institutes.
 
     We now have 14 laboratories and health-science centres, established in collaboration with prestigious universities from around the world.  Universities from the US participate in five of them.
 
     No less important, Hong Kong has access to Mainland data. An area bordering Shenzhen – what we call the Lok Ma Chau Loop – will become a major site of innovation and technology co-operation with Shenzhen.
 
     The Greater Bay Area International Clinical Trial Institute will be established there. It will provide one-stop support to international pharmaceutical companies, allowing them to conduct clinical trials in Hong Kong. And we’ll be developing additional health research clusters in the Loop down the innovation road. 
 
     For the past 18 months, we have welcomed strategic tech companies from all over the world to build a presence in Hong Kong. To date, more than 50 partner companies have committed to establishing a presence in Hong Kong. They include eight pharmaceutical companies from the US. They see the long-term promise of Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area and will help to realise it.
 
     Ladies and gentlemen, Hong Kong is busy creating business partnerships for our two Bay Areas. In this regard, Invest Hong Kong signed an MoU with San Francisco’s Bay Area Council strengthening mutual investment and business support.
 
     Our two Bay Areas are among the most affluent, technologically advanced and influential regions in the world. And our progress, our larger influence, will only continue to grow, of that I am confident.
 
     Working together, there is much we can achieve – for our respective economies and communities, for the world at large.
 
     Let today’s dialogue mark the beginning of a far-reaching and mutually rewarding co-operation for us all.
 
     I wish each and every one of you the best of health and success. And I look forward to seeing you, soon, in Hong Kong. Thank you.

read more

     Police are investigating a fatal traffic accident happened in Yuen Long in the small hours today (May 30), in which a man died.        At 0.27am, a motorcycle driven by a 33-year-old man was trav… read more

Attention TV/radio announcers: Please broadcast the following as soon as possible and repeat it at regular intervals:      Here is an item of interest to swimmers.      The Leisure and Cultural… read more

     The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health is today (May 29) investigating an imported case of cholera, and again appealed to the public for good personal, food and environmental hygiene both locally and during travel.
 
     The case involves a 29-month-old girl with good past health, who travelled overseas with her family from May 7 to 16 and developed diarrhoea and vomitting since May 17. She was brought to the Accident and Emergency Department of Queen Elizabeth Hospital for medical attention on May 20 and was admitted for isolation and management the same day. She has been in a stable condition all along.

     Her stool specimen today yielded toxigenic Vibrio cholerae O1 serotype Ogawa upon testing by the CHP’s Public Health Laboratory Services Branch.
 
     Initial enquiries by the CHP revealed that one of her home contacts was symptomatic, arrangements will be made for him to be admitted to a hospital for examination. The CHP’s investigations are ongoing.

     “Most cholera patients have gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhoea or vomiting. Some patients with severe symptoms present with a sudden onset of profuse diarrhoea with rice-water-like and fishy smelling stools, nausea and vomiting. Without prompt treatment, these patients may die from severe dehydration,” a spokesman for the CHP said.

     Cholera is usually contracted through consumption of food or water contaminated with Vibrio cholerae. Human-to-human transmission rarely happens.

     The CHP advised the public to observe good personal, food and environmental hygiene both locally and during travel:
 

• Wash hands properly with liquid soap and water before eating or handling food, after going to the toilet or changing diapers, and after handling garbage;
• Avoid handling food when having symptoms of vomiting or diarrhoea;
• Purchase food from hygienic and reliable sources. Do not patronise illegal hawkers;
• Handle raw, cooked and ready-to-eat food with separate utensils and store them separately;
• Ensure thorough cooking of food before consumption;
• Discard any spoilt food;
• Clean the refrigerator regularly. Maintain the fridge at or below 4 degrees Celsius and the freezer at or below -18 degrees C;
• Maintain proper sanitary facilities and drainage systems; and
• Clean and disinfect toilets used by an infected person and the soiled areas.

     In addition, travellers to cholera-affected areas should:
 

• Cook food and boil water thoroughly before consumption. Do not patronise illegal hawkers. Avoid eating cold dishes like salads. Wash and peel fruit by yourself. Do not use ice for beverages. If water cannot be boiled, treat water with chlorine or iodine before consumption; and
• Travellers returning from affected areas should consult a doctor promptly if symptoms develop. Reveal the travel history and maintain good personal, food and environmental hygiene.

     The public may visit the CHP’s cholera page for more information. read more