Secretary for Health attends Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Conference on Inheritance, Innovation and Development of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Dongguan (with photos)

     The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, led a delegation to attend the 6th Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) Conference on Inheritance, Innovation and Development of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Dongguan today (November 14) to have in-depth exchanges and discussions on Chinese medicine (CM) services, education and industry development with officials from the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine (NATCM), the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR), Guangdong Province and GBA cities, with a view to fostering collaboration.
 
     Professor Lo said, "The year's conference has its theme on 'Developing New Quality Productive Forces to Facilitate CM Development in the GBA', echoing the spirit of deepening the reform of the medical and healthcare system, and enhancing the inheritance and innovation development mechanism of CM as highlighted in the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. Hong Kong has been participating in taking forward and deepening the construction of the CM highlands and high-quality development of CM in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao. Over the past year, the Hong Kong SAR Government fully exploited the advantages of CM and integrated Chinese-Western medicine (ICWM) in the healthcare system that has been adopting both Chinese and Western medicine on a dual-track basis, and significantly increased the number of public hospitals and service points providing ICWM services. The Government Chinese Medicines Testing Institute (GCMTI) of the Department of Health also launched the Digital Herbarium for Chinese Medicines website, which is open for use by members of the public, the industry and international scientific research institutions. The Hong Kong SAR Government will continue to introduce innovative measures in multiple aspects, including CM healthcare services and inpatient services, CM standards and application of CM data sources, as well as scientific research, in order to develop Hong Kong into a bridgehead for the internationalisation of CM.
 
     "The year of 2025 will be a notable year for CM development in Hong Kong. By the end of 2025, the Chinese Medicine Hospital of Hong Kong (CMHHK) and the permanent GCMTI building will have their services commenced in phases. The CM Development Blueprint will also be released at the end of 2025. I am honoured that it will be Hong Kong's turn to host the 7th Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Conference on Inheritance, Innovation and Development of Traditional Chinese Medicine next year. I am looking forward to meeting you all in Hong Kong then to witness our key milestones of CM development as well as experiencing the charm of the city as an events capital."
 
     Professor Lo also witnessed at the conference the signing of framework agreements on co-operation in CM talent cultivation by the Health Bureau of the Hong Kong SAR Government (HHB) and the Health Bureau of the Macao SAR Government with the Traditional Chinese Medicine Bureau of Guangdong Province (TCMBGD) respectively. The framework agreements aim to strengthen the interaction and collaboration in cultivating CM talent and establish a long-term and efficient collaboration mechanism. He also witnessed the signing of various agreements on multiple GBA CM co-operation projects, including the Co-operation Framework on GBA CM Visiting Scholars Programme between the Hospital Authority (HA) and Guangdong Second Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, with a view to strengthening professional clinical exchange and promoting the development of ICWM services.
 
     Representatives of the HHB, the Department of Health (DH) and the CMHHK participated in the plenary session, roundtable discussion and keynote session of the conference respectively to update attendees on the latest developments and policy visions of CM in Hong Kong, the city's effort in contributing to the nation's promotion of the internationalisation of CM, the future development of the CMHHK, etc.
 
     In the afternoon, some members of the delegation attended the meeting on the co-operation mechanism of the construction of CM highlands in the GBA convened by the NATCM to exchange views on the latest developments of the construction of CM highlands in the GBA.
 
     The next conference will be held in Hong Kong. A representative of the TCMBGD handed over the conference flag to a representative of the HHB at the closing ceremony of the conference.
 
     Co-organised by the TCMBGD, the HHB, the Health Bureau of the Macao SAR Government and the Dongguan Municipal People's Government, this year's conference aims to press ahead with the in-depth integration of CM development in the GBA and the full implementation of the Outline Development Plan for the GBA and the Construction Plan for the Chinese Medicine Highlands in the GBA (2020-2025). 
 
     Members of the Hong Kong delegation included the Director of Health, Dr Ronald Lam; the Project Director of the Chinese Medicine Hospital Project Office of the HHB, Dr Cheung Wai-lun; the Commissioner for Chinese Medicine Development of the HHB, Dr Vincent Chung; the Assistant Director of Health (Chinese Medicine), Dr Edmund Fong; and the Chief Executive of the HA, Dr Tony Ko; as well as a number of officials of the HHB, the DH and the HA. The Hospital Chief Executive of the CMHHK, Professor Bian Zhaoxiang, also joined the delegation for the conference.