SFH to visit Beijing

     The Secretary for Food and Health, Professor Sophia Chan, will depart for Beijing tomorrow (December 22) to meet the relevant Mainland authorities.
 
     Professor Chan will call on the National Health Commission, the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine (NATCM) and the National Medical Products Administration on December 23. She will brief the relevant Mainland authorities on various healthcare aspects in Hong Kong including the development of Chinese medicine and the latest development of the first Chinese medicine hospital. She will also sign a co-operation agreement with NATCM on the training of Hong Kong's Chinese medicine practitioners in the Mainland.
 
     The following day, Professor Chan will visit the General Administration of Customs (GAC) to witness the signing of the collaboration arrangement on e-certificates between the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) and the GAC with an aim of building an effective transfer mechanism for e-certificates, fostering collaboration on data exchange of quarantine certificates between both sides as well as stepping up gate-keeping work on food safety.
 
     Professor Chan said, "The Food and Health Bureau (FHB) will continue to strengthen exchanges and collaboration with the relevant Mainland authorities to improve the public health system and enhance the arrangement of verifying health certificates by food regulating authorities of the two sides with a view to further enhancing the safety of the food supply to Hong Kong."
 
     Officials accompanying Professor Chan on the visit include the Permanent Secretary for Food and Health (Health), Ms Elizabeth Tse; the Permanent Secretary for Food and Health (Food), Mr Philip Yung; the Director of Health, Dr Constance Chan; the Acting Controller of the Centre for Food Safety of the FEHD, Dr Edwin Tsui; and the Project Director of the Chinese Medicine Hospital Project Office of the FHB, Dr Cheung Wai-lun. The Chairman of the Hospital Authority (HA), Mr Henry Fan, and the Chief Executive of the HA, Dr Tony Ko, will also join the visit.
 
     Professor Chan will return to Hong Kong on December 24. The Under Secretary for Food and Health, Dr Chui Tak-yi, will be the Acting Secretary for Food and Health during her absence.