In response to media enquiries on the interest of tertiary institutions to offer medical programmes, a spokesman for the Health Bureau (HHB) gave the following response today (July 8):

     The HHB is aware that a number of local tertiary institutions have publicly indicated their interest in offering medical programmes. The HHB keeps an open mind towards any initiatives conducive to nurturing local medical students and increasing healthcare manpower supply. In terms of healthcare manpower training, it is essential that any new medical programme must secure sufficient manpower and facilities for teaching and training to ensure teaching quality, and must contribute to increasing the supply of local doctors for meeting the rising demand for healthcare services in Hong Kong.

     The Government will consider medical programme proposals from any tertiary institutions in accordance with the established mechanisms for local tertiary institutions to offer programmes. In reviewing medical programme proposals, the HHB will take into account factors such as the development needs of the healthcare system, the local healthcare manpower projection, the demand and supply of teaching and training manpower, and the relevant teaching and training facilities including teaching hospitals. The HHB will also discuss with relevant bureaux on ancillaries such as the development of tertiary institutions, financial resources required, and land supply for university campuses before making further consideration. The introduction of medical programmes and provision of training facilities involve enormous public money. The programmes have to be accredited and recognised by the Medical Council of Hong Kong so that the graduates can possess the qualifications to become registered local medical practitioners.   

     Since the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) expressed its interest in introducing medical programmes last year, the HHB and the HKUST have all along maintained communication. The HHB has so far received from the HKUST a few pages on the initial ideas and slideshows introducing the initial ideas. The HHB has learned from the HKUST that the plan is still in its planning stage, while detailed proposals are still being formulated. At present, the HKUST has yet to formally submit detailed proposals of the relevant plan to the Government. It is too early to comment on the relevant plan at the current stage.

     The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, London (London ETO) supported the Musicus Society's cultural exchange tour in partnership with the English Chamber Orchestra (ECO) from July 3 to 9 (London time). The tour featured nine talented Hong Kong students aged 11 to 17 participating in a series of cultural immersion and enrichment activities in London, the United Kingdom (UK). Activities included a joint string ensemble performance with local students and musicians at St Paul's Church, professional training sessions conducted by the ECO, and visits to prestigious music venues such as the Royal Albert Hall and the Royal College of Music Museum.

     The Director-General of the London ETO, Mr Gilford Law, welcomed the student delegation on July 4. "It is our great pleasure to facilitate Musicus Society's cultural exchange tour in the UK. The tour not only enriches the music education of our young talent but also strengthens cultural ties between Hong Kong and the UK. Such exchanges highlight Hong Kong's unique East-meets-West fusion, showcasing our city's vibrant cultural landscape. With the boundless talent of our home-grown musicians backed by an international network, Hong Kong is poised to emerge as an international cultural exchange centre, a vision supported by the National 14th Five-Year Plan," he said.

     The highlight of the tour was a public concert held at the historic St Paul's Church at Covent Garden, London, in the evening of July 7. The performance featured a joint string ensemble led by the nine Hong Kong students from the Musicus Society alongside 21 local students and musicians. The audience, consisting of nearly 150 guests, enjoyed a captivating programme with iconic compositions from renowned musicians such as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Gustav Holst, as well as the theme music of the Hong Kong movie "In the Mood for Love".

     The Musicus Society, formed in 2010, is a registered charity in Hong Kong. The Society's mission is to promote cross-cultural collaboration of music internationally through performances and by nurturing the next generation of talent.

      

     The Legislative Council (LegCo) will hold a meeting on Wednesday (July 10) at 11am in the Chamber of the LegCo Complex. During the meeting, the Second Reading Debates on the Dentists Registration (Amendment) Bill 2024, the Statute Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024 and the Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse Bill will resume. If the Bills are supported by Members and receive their Second Reading, they will stand committed to the committee of the whole Council. After the committee of the whole Council has completed consideration of the Bills and their reports are adopted by the Council, the Bills will be set down for the Third Reading.
 
     Meanwhile, the Fire Safety (Buildings) (Amendment) Bill 2024 and the Shipping Legislation (Use of Fuels and Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 2024 will be introduced into the Council for the First Reading and the Second Reading. The Second Reading debate on the Bills will be adjourned.
 
     On Members' motions, Mr Dennis Leung will move a motion on developing local vocational and professional education and training. The motion is set out in Appendix 1. Mr Lee Chun-keung, Mr Rock Chen and Mr Tang Fei will move separate amendments to Mr Leung's motion.

     Mr Tony Tse will move a motion on actively developing land and optimizing land use to promote the development of the economy and industries. The motion is set out in Appendix 2. Mr Louis Loong, Mr Stanley Ng, Ms Chan Yuet-ming, Mr Lau Kwok-fan, Ms Carmen Kan, Mr Andrew Lam and Dr Hoey Simon Lee will move separate amendments to Mr Tse's motion.
 
     During the meeting, Mr Martin Liao and Mr Steven Ho will present the "Independent Commission Against Corruption, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China Annual Report 2023 and Reports of ICAC Advisory Committees" and the "ICAC Complaints Committee Annual Report 2023" respectively, and address the Council.
 
     Members will also ask the Government 22 questions on various policy areas, six of which require oral replies.
 
     The agenda of the above meeting can be obtained via the LegCo Website (www.legco.gov.hk). Members of the public can watch or listen to the meeting via the "Webcast" system on the LegCo Website. To observe the proceedings of the meeting at the LegCo Complex, members of the public may call 3919 3399 during office hours to reserve seats.

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     Regarding an earlier announcement on a cluster of patients infected with COVID-19 in a geriatric infirmary ward, the spokesperson for Ruttonjee Hospital made the following update today (July 8):

     Nine more patients (one male and eight females aged between 38 and 83) in the ward concerned have presented with respiratory symptoms. Appropriate tests were arranged for the patients and their test results were positive for COVID-19. The patients are currently being treated in cohort isolation and all are in stable condition. In addition, an 85-year-old male patient, who was in critical condition, continued to deteriorate and passed away today.　

     Infection control measures have already been stepped up according to established guidelines. All other patients in the ward concerned are under close surveillance.

     The cases have been reported to the Hospital Authority Head Office and the Centre for Health Protection for necessary follow up.

     The Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO) announced today (July 8) that new functions will be launched in the "iAM Smart" mobile app to simplify the registration process and enhance the user experience.
 
     To further enable members of the public to register for and upgrade to the "iAM Smart+" account that provides a digital signing function, the OGCIO will launch the new version (3.5.0) of the "iAM Smart" mobile app on July 11. With mobile phones supporting the Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, members of the public can upgrade to this new version to read the card face data from the new smart identity (ID) card chip and easily register for or upgrade to "iAM Smart+" via the "iAM Smart" mobile app on their own, without the need to visit self-registration kiosks or service counters in person. The new registration process only requires a single shot of the ID card, instead of shooting the ID card from multiple angles.
 
     Members of the public who have not registered for "iAM Smart" can directly register for an "iAM Smart+" account by downloading and using the new version of the "iAM Smart" mobile app. To enable the existing "iAM Smart" users to upgrade to "iAM Smart+" by themselves, the OGCIO will gradually issue a push notification inviting them to "Upgrade to iAM Smart+" through the new version of the "iAM Smart" mobile app (Photo 1). Existing "iAM Smart+" users need not register again. Members of the public can refer to the attached photo to know whether they are "iAM Smart" or "iAM Smart+" users (Photo 2).
 
     It is very simple to register for or upgrade to "iAM Smart+" with the new version of the "iAM Smart" mobile app. The procedures include a single shot of the front of the new smart ID card and placing it near the NFC antenna of the mobile phone, followed by facial recognition to verify the identity. The mobile phone concerned must be using iOS 14.0/Android 12.0 or above. For details, please refer to the attachment. The information is also available on the "iAM Smart" thematic website (www.iamsmart.gov.hk/en/media-info.html?i=207#tabs-3). Meanwhile, members of the public can still register for or upgrade to "iAM Smart+" at more than 50 self-registration kiosks located across various districts, registration service counters of any post office or via the mobile registration services.
 
     A spokesman of the OGCIO stressed, "The existing legal requirements and system security design only allow the government-authorised 'iAM Smart' system to read only the card face data from the smart ID card chip through the 'iAM Smart' mobile app as initiated by the citizen. The user registration procedures have been significantly simplified, as multi-level data verification and secured encryption technologies are adopted throughout the process to ensure the identity of the registrant is verified in a secure, reliable and accurate manner. The entire process fully complies with relevant ordinances, as well as requirements for information security and protection of personal data privacy."
 
     "The invitation for 'Upgrade to iAM Smart+' or push notifications will only be sent through the 'iAM Smart' system. The entire 'iAM Smart+' registration or upgrade process will only be conducted within the 'iAM Smart' mobile app. Members of the public should stay vigilant to suspicious phone calls, SMS, emails, etc, claiming to assist with registering for or upgrading to 'iAM Smart+'. They shall not provide personal information to scammers or click on suspicious links directly from SMS or emails," the OGCIO spokesman added.
 
     Since its launch in late 2020, the "iAM Smart" one-stop personalised digital services platform has already accumulated over 2.7 million registrations and provided over 380 government, public and private online services with an average of over 100 000 logins per day. The OGCIO will introduce more new functions to further enhance the user experience and simplify the operation workflow, with the goal of fully adopting the "iAM Smart" platform to provide one-stop digital services and realising a "single portal for online government services" by 2025.
 
     Members of the public can download and use the latest version of the "iAM Smart" mobile app for free from the "iAM Smart" thematic website at www.iamsmart.gov.hk/en/download.html or Apple App Store, Google Play and Huawei AppGallery.