Secretary for Health visits Shanghai and meets with Deputy Director General of Shanghai Municipal Health Commission (with photos)
The Secretary of Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, visited Shanghai today (November 18) and met with Deputy Director General of the Shanghai Municipal Health Commission Professor Luo Meng to explore collaboration between Hong Kong and Shanghai in the areas of healthcare talent exchanges and digital healthcare. Professor Lo also attended the Fifth High Quality Development Forum of Shanghai Public Hospitals and the 180th Anniversary of Renji Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine.
During the meeting with Professor Luo, Professor Lo expressed gratitude to the Shanghai Municipal Health Commission for the continuous support towards promoting the two-way healthcare talent training and exchanges between Hong Kong and Shanghai. In particular, the Hospital Authority (HA) of Hong Kong has established a bilateral talent exchange channel with three hospitals in Shanghai, namely Zhongshan Hospital affiliated to Fudan University, Renji Hospital affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, and Shanghai Children's Medical Center affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, covering multiple specialties such as cardiology, anesthesiology, endoscopy and organ transplantation. To date, eight doctors from Shanghai and Hong Kong have participated in two-way clinical exchanges, while arrangements for that next year will be implemented gradually.
Professor Lo also said, "We will proactively explore digital healthcare collaboration between Shanghai and Hong Kong with the Shanghai Municipal Health Commission, including facilitation arrangement for cross-boundary use of electronic health records to dovetail with cross-boundary medical collaboration programmes and support the cross-boundary medical needs of citizens. We will also promote exchanges and collaboration in the field of medical innovation and technology, with the aim to leverage the unique advantages of the two places to support clinical diagnosis and treatment, new drug research and development as well as public health research, thereby driving further the medical development of the two places."
Professor Lo attended the Fifth High Quality Development Forum of Shanghai Public Hospitals and the 180th Anniversary of Renji Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine this morning. He delivered a speech at the opening ceremony of the forum and introduced the latest progress and related work of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government in encouraging public hospitals under the HA to participate in the Hospital Accreditation Programme.
He said, "The HA is encouraging Hong Kong public hospitals to adopt the China's International Hospital Accreditation Standards (2021 Version) (International Standards) for the Hospital Accreditation Programme. In 2023-24, Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital and Prince of Wales Hospital resumed the Hospital Accreditation Programme by adopting the International Standards. On-site accreditation surveys for the two hospitals are planned to take place in the fourth quarter this year to ensure that the hospital management, service level and healthcare quality are on par with the International Standards. The HA is currently drawing up a timetable for other public hospitals to get accredited by the International Standards in the coming year. The preliminary plan is to roll out the Programme in two to three other public hospitals."
After the forum, Professor Lo visited the Shanghai Children's Medical Center affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, which has a talent exchange mechanism established with the HA. Starting from this year, the two parties have arranged for healthcare staff to conduct reciprocal visits, enabling two-way training and exchanges.
Members of the Hong Kong delegation include the Chairman of the HA, Mr Henry Fan, and the Chief Executive of the HA, Dr Tony Ko. Professor Lo will return to Hong Kong tonight. During his absence, the Under Secretary for Health, Dr Libby Lee, is the Acting Secretary for Health.
