The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, attended the 77th World Health Assembly (WHA) of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, Switzerland, yesterday (May 27, Geneva time).
Professor Lo and the Director of Health, Dr Ronald Lam, attended the Assembly as members of the Chinese delegation. The theme of this year's Assembly is "All for Health, Health for All" and the discussions cover a wide range of issues, including universal health coverage, infection prevention and control, International Health Regulations, antimicrobial resistance, prevention and control of non-communicable diseases, health promotion and the WHO's preparedness and response to public health emergencies.
In addition to attending the plenary session, Professor Lo and Dr Lam also attended a thematic side meeting co-organised by the National Health Commission (NHC) and health authorities of South Africa and the United Arab Emirates on integrated health services. The Vice-minister of the NHC Mr Cao Xuetao delivered a speech at the side meeting which was chaired by the Dean of the Vanke School of Public Health of the Tsinghua University, Dr Margaret Chan. Professor Lo and Dr Lam had in-depth discussions and exchanges with other participants on people-centred primary healthcare services.
"At the side meeting, WHO experts and representatives from different countries shared their views on promoting primary healthcare. I agreed that different countries and places have different strategies in the process of developing primary healthcare, but their ultimate goal is to achieve universal health coverage. The side meeting discussions have provided insights for us to promote primary healthcare development and implement the 'Primary Healthcare Blueprint' in Hong Kong," Professor Lo said.
After arriving in Geneva the day before yesterday (May 26, Geneva time), Professor Lo and Dr Lam met with Mr Cao and the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Permanent Representative of the People's Republic of China to the United Nations Office at Geneva and other International Organizations in Switzerland, Mr Chen Xu, to discuss the latest healthcare developments of the Mainland and Hong Kong, and Hong Kong's participation in WHO-related work.
Professor Lo and Dr Lam will continue to attend the WHA on May 28 (Geneva time).
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