The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:
The Hospital Authority (HA) Board today (January 23) discussed and endorsed at its Administrative and Operational Meeting the commencement of recruitment of a new HA Chief Executive. The incumbent Chief Executive, Dr Tony Ko, had earlier indicated to the HA Chairman, Mr Henry Fan, his wish to not seek reappointment upon completion of his current contract at the end of July this year.
"Dr Ko has served the HA with utmost dedication since his appointment as the Chief Executive in 2019. He had earlier expressed his wish to embark on a new chapter in life after his term expires at the end of July. He intends to leverage his extensive experience of over three decades in the public healthcare system to continue contributing and serving society through other platforms, and therefore decided not to seek reappointment as the HA Chief Executive," Mr Fan said.
"It is with much regret that, despite my numerous attempts to persuade him to stay in the past few months, Dr Ko has decided to start a new chapter in his life after the contract expires. Both the HA Board and I deeply regret but fully respect his final decision. We are extremely grateful for his decade-long dedication and commitment to public hospitals for the well-being of patients and Hong Kong society. Dr Ko's contribution is pivotal to the long-term development of the HA and the public healthcare system. We wish him the very best in his future endeavours as he continues to contribute to the medical profession."
Dr Ko said, "Serving patients in public hospitals has been my lifelong honour. I am also very grateful that, during my tenure as the Chief Executive in the past six years, we have overcome various challenges together. Under the leadership of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, we defeated the COVID-19 epidemic. After the resumption of normalcy, we worked together for Hong Kong to maintain its leading role in the international healthcare field, strengthening connections and exchanges with the healthcare systems on the Mainland and with other regions. Meanwhile, we vigorously promoted the development of smart hospital initiatives for more patients to benefit from the technology. All these outstanding achievements could have only been accomplished with our concerted efforts. I would also like to sincerely thank the Health Bureau, all HA Chairmen, particularly the incumbent Chairman, Mr Henry Fan, all HA Board Members, as well as all HA staff, whose unstinting support has enabled us to overcome all difficulties together."
On the recruitment exercise, the HA Board has appointed a Selection Board to advise on the details of the overall recruitment and selection process, including the recommendation of the proposed remuneration for the successful candidate. The HA will engage a search firm for the recruitment exercise. It is expected that the recruitment exercise will be completed within the next six months to allow adequate time for the new Chief Executive to have a smooth handover with Dr Ko.
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