The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, officiated at the kick-off ceremony of the Chronic Disease Co-Care Pilot Scheme (CDCC Pilot Scheme) today (November 13) to mark the official launch of the first major initiative set out in the Primary Healthcare Blueprint. He called on eligible persons to take action in commencing a healthy life journey by participating in the Scheme through enrolment as a member of District Health Centres (DHCs) and pairing with a family doctor.

     Professor Lo said, "The CDCC Pilot Scheme is a brand-new subsidy scheme. With government subsidies, members of the public only need to pay an affordable co-payment amount to receive screening and follow-up services in the private healthcare sector with respect to diabetes mellitus (DM) and hypertension (HT). The Scheme will surely create a 'win-win-win' situation and greatly benefit citizens, doctors as well as the healthcare system as a whole."

     He said that under the CDCC Pilot Scheme, the Government will make the best use of the community healthcare networks with DHCs as the hub for the prevention and management of chronic diseases and establishment of a family doctor system.

     "By utilising the strength of the private healthcare sector to alleviate the pressure on the public healthcare sector, we will be able to focus our resources in the public healthcare system more on caring for the underprivileged.

     "I am delighted that the healthcare community are all supportive of the Government in promoting primary healthcare. Our latest figures show that over 400 family doctors being our important partners by joining the Scheme, involving nearly 30 healthcare organisations and covering 600 service points. With this strong force of family doctors, I encourage citizens to seize the opportunity to pair with a regular family doctor through the Scheme, and establish a long-term doctor-patient relationship with mutual trust. I also hope that citizens can partner with family doctors to live a healthy life to realise the slogan of today's kick-off ceremony, 'Partnering in the Health Journey for a Healthy Life'."

     The kick-off ceremony, held at the Sham Shui Po DHC today, brought together nearly 100 guests from various backgrounds, including representatives from the public and private healthcare sectors, patient organisations, the Department of Health, the Hospital Authority (HA) and the DHCs to show their full support for the Scheme.

     Dr Lam Wing-ho, who practise as a family doctor, gave his strong support to the CDCC Pilot Scheme. At the kick-off ceremony, he shared his experiences in collaborating with the DHCs and successful cases in which patients' health conditions were improved through adopting a healthier lifestyle.

     Starting today, the DHCs and DHC Expresses located across the 18 districts in the city will assist Hong Kong residents aged 45 or above with no known medical history of DM or HT to register for the CDCC Pilot Scheme, serving as the first point of contact for citizens to participate in the Scheme. Upon enrolment as a DHC/DHCE member and giving consent to enrol in the Electronic Health Record Sharing System (eHealth), eligible citizens will be assisted by the DHC/DHCE to pair with a family doctor of their choice.

     Apart from the co-ordination work, DHCs/DHCEs also support family doctors in a case manager model and utilise their service networks to facilitate the delivery of inter-disciplinary primary healthcare services. Furthermore, DHCs/DHCEs follow up on the medical arrangements for participants according to the recommendations of family doctors and set health management goals together with the participants for building a healthy lifestyle.

     The service flow, government subsidy level and co-payment amount of the CDCC Pilot Scheme are stated in the annexes. The list of family doctors participating in the Scheme, details and frequently asked questions of the Scheme are also available on the CDCC Pilot Scheme dedicated website (www.primaryhealthcare.gov.hk/cdcc/en) for public reference. Members of the public may as well call the hotline at 2157 0500 for inquiries. Dedicated staff of the hotline will answer calls from 9am to 9pm from Mondays to Saturdays.

     Other officiating guests of the kick-off ceremony were Legislative Councillor Dr David Lam; the Permanent Secretary for Health, Mr Thomas Chan; the Under Secretary for Health, Dr Libby Lee; the Director of Health, Dr Ronald Lam; the Chairman of the HA, Mr Henry Fan; and the President of the Hong Kong College of Family Physicians, Dr David Chao.

        

     The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health is today (November 13) investigating an outbreak of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) at a kindergarten-cum-child care centre in Tin Shui Wai, and again urged the public, schools and institutions to maintain strict hand, personal and environmental hygiene.

     The outbreak involves 22 children (including 15 boys and seven girls) aged 2 to 5. They developed oral ulcers, rashes or vesicles on their hands or feet and fever since November 2. All patients sought medical attention. One of them required hospitalisation and has been discharged after treatment. All patients are in stable condition.

     Officers of the CHP have conducted a site visit to the school and advised the management on necessary infection controls and preventive measures. The school has been put under medical surveillance. Investigations are ongoing.

     "HFMD is common in children, while adult cases may also appear. It is usually caused by enteroviruses (EVs) such as Coxsackie virus and EV71. It is clinically characterised by maculopapular rashes or vesicular lesions occurring on the palms, soles and other parts of the body such as the buttocks and thighs. Vesicular lesions and ulcers may also be found in the oral cavity. Sometimes patients present mainly with painful ulcers at the back of the mouth, namely herpangina, without a rash on the hands or feet," a spokesman for the CHP said.

     "HFMD occurs throughout the year with the usual peak occurring from May to July. A smaller peak may also occur from October to December. According to the CHP's latest surveillance data, the local activity of HFMD remains at a high level. As young children are more susceptible, parents should stay alert to their health. Institutional outbreaks may occur where HFMD can easily spread among young children with close contact," the spokesman added.

     The spokesman reminded that alcohol-based handrub should not substitute hand hygiene with liquid soap and water, as alcohol does not effectively kill some viruses causing HFMD, for example, EV71. To prevent HFMD, members of the public (especially the management of institutions and schools) should take heed of the following preventive measures:
 

• Maintain good air circulation;
• Wash hands before meals and after going to the toilet or handling diapers or other stool-soiled materials;
• Keep hands clean and wash hands properly, especially when they are dirtied by respiratory secretions, such as after sneezing;
• Cover the nose and mouth while sneezing or coughing and dispose of nasal and oral discharges properly;
• Regularly clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces such as furniture, toys and commonly shared items with 1:99 diluted household bleach (mixing one part of household bleach containing 5.25 per cent sodium hypochlorite with 99 parts of water), leave for 15 to 30 minutes, and then rinse with water and keep dry;
• Use absorbent disposable towels to wipe away obvious contaminants such as respiratory secretions, vomitus or excreta, and then disinfect the surface and neighbouring areas with 1:49 diluted household bleach (mixing one part of bleach containing 5.25 per cent sodium hypochlorite with 49 parts of water), leave for 15 to 30 minutes and then rinse with water and keep dry;
• Children who are ill should be kept out of school until their fever and rash have subsided and all vesicles have dried and crusted;
• Avoid going to overcrowded places; and
• Parents should maintain close communication with schools to let them know the latest situation of the sick children.

     
     â€‹The public may visit the CHP's page on HFMD and EV71 infection and Public Health Advice for Play Facilities for more information.

     Police today (November 13) appealed to the public for information on a woman who went missing in Cheung Sha Wan.

     Lee Yee-ching, aged 65, went missing after she was last seen in Mei Foo on January 26 evening. Her family made a report to Police on November 11.

     She is about 1.63 metres tall, 50 kilograms in weight and of medium build. She has a square face with yellow complexion and long black hair.

     Anyone who knows the whereabouts of the missing woman or may have seen her is urged to contact the Regional Missing Persons Unit of New Territories South on 3661 1176 or 6383 4337 or email to rmpu-nts-2@police.gov.hk, or contact any police station.

  

     Hong Kong Customs yesterday (November 12) mounted an anti-smuggling operation at the Shenzhen Bay Control Point and detected a suspected smuggling case involving a cross-boundary private car. A batch of suspected smuggled dried seafood, including about 57 kilograms of dried sea cucumber, 28kg of dried fish maw and 2.2kg of bird nest, with a total estimated market value of about $1.13 million was seized.

     Through risk assessment, Customs officers yesterday intercepted an outbound private car which was claimed to have nothing to declare at the Shenzhen Bay Control Point, and seized the batch of suspected smuggled dried seafood at the boot of the vehicle. A 38-year-old male driver was arrested and was charged with one count of attempting to export unmanifested cargo.

     Smuggling is a serious offence. Under the Import and Export Ordinance, any person found guilty of importing or exporting unmanifested cargo is liable to a maximum fine of $2 million and imprisonment for seven years.

     Customs will continue to combat smuggling activities by use of cross-boundary private cars with firm enforcement action based on risk assessment and intelligence analysis.

     Members of the public may report any suspected smuggling activities to Customs' 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002).

  

     The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government and the China Hong Kong Paralympic Committee hosted a welcome home reception at the Ma On Shan Sports Centre, Sha Tin, today (November 13) to greet the Hong Kong, China Delegation to the 4th Asian Para Games Hangzhou on their triumphant return from the Games.
      
     The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, officiated at the ceremony and presented certificates of commendation to the Hong Kong athletes in recognition of their efforts in the competitions.
      
     Speaking at the ceremony, Mr Lee said that the Hong Kong team has achieved an outstanding performance at this Asian Para Games. This is a manifestation of the hard work of the athletes and their teams. It also reflects that the Government is on the right track in allocating resources for sports development and providing additional resources for the development of sports for persons with disabilities. The result is there for all to see.
      
     The 4th Asian Para Games was held in Hangzhou between October 22 and 28. A total of 95 Hong Kong athletes were sent to take part in 11 competition events at the Games, including boccia, archery, athletics, badminton, lawn bowls, rowing, swimming, table tennis, shooting, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair fencing and wheelchair tennis.
      
     After a fierce competition, the Hong Kong Delegation received a total of 47 medals at the Games, comprising eight gold, 15 sliver and 24 bronze, ranking 10th out of 33 medal-winning countries or regions. Details of the competition medalists are set out in the Annex.
      
     Also greeting the athletes at today's ceremony were the President of the China Hong Kong Paralympic Committee, Mrs Jenny Fung; the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Kevin Yeung; the Under Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Raistlin Lau; the Director of Leisure and Cultural Services, Mr Vincent Liu; the Commissioner for Sports, Mr Sam Wong; and the Deputy Director of Leisure and Cultural Services (Leisure Services), Miss Winnie Chui.