Tag Archives: China

     The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today (November 8) released the test results of a targeted food surveillance project on the nutrition labelling of prepackaged instant noodles. The results of 40 samples tested were all satisfactory.

     “The CFS collected samples from different retail outlets for the targeted food surveillance project. Tests were conducted to check if the energy content and specified nutrient content (total fat, saturated fat, trans fat, sugars, sodium, protein, carbohydrates, and more) are consistent with the declared values on their nutrition labels,” a spokesman for the CFS said.

     The Food and Drugs (Composition and Labelling) Regulations (Cap. 132W) require all applicable prepackaged foods to list the ingredients and the content of energy plus seven core nutrients, namely carbohydrates, protein, total fat, saturated fat, trans fat, sodium and sugars, and regulate any associated nutrition claims.

     Nutrition labelling can assist consumers in making informed food choices, encourage food manufacturers to apply sound nutrition principles in the formulation of foods, and regulate misleading or deceptive labels and claims. According to Section 61 of the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance (Cap. 132), if any person falsely describes food or misleads as to the nature, substance or quality of the food on a label of the food sold by him or her, he or she shall be guilty of an offence and liable to a maximum fine of $50,000 and six months’ imprisonment upon conviction.

     The CFS will continue to conduct surveillance on other food samples to check if their energy content and specified nutrient content are consistent with the declared values on their nutrition labels, and the results will be released in due course. The spokesman reminded the food trade to comply with the law, and urged members of the public to pay attention to the information on nutrition labels when purchasing food to make informed food choices so as to achieve a balanced diet and stay healthy. read more

     Following is a question by the Hon Chan Hoi-yan and a written reply by the Acting Secretary for Health, Dr Libby Lee, in the Legislative Council today (November 8):

Question:

     At present, the Hospital Authority does not offer specialist outpatient services on dermatology, and relevant services are provided by the nine dermatology clinics under the Department of Health (DH). However, it has been reported that the waiting time for such clinics is too long. Regarding the provision of diagnoses and treatments for eczema patients, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) whether it knows the number of eczema patients seeking consultation at public hospitals because of eczema in each of the past five years;

(2) whether it knows the respective numbers of patients with severe eczema who were referred to the dermatology clinics for follow-up through private healthcare institutions and public hospitals in each of the past five years;

(3) whether it knows the longest, shortest and average waiting time of new cases at the dermatology clinics in each of the past five years (set out in a table);

(4) whether it knows the total number of specialists in dermatology in the public healthcare system at present and, among them, the respective numbers of those working in DH and those who are residents at public hospitals; and

(5) whether it will consider establishing a “dermatology specialist treatment centre” to centrally handle severe eczema cases, and setting up a fleet of “mobile clinics for dermatology specialist services” to provide nursing care for eczema patients with relatively mild conditions in the community, so as to divert eczema patients to different units for receiving services; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Reply:

President,

     Eczema is a common group of skin diseases. The main symptoms are itch, redness, swelling or dryness and cracking of the skin. Most cases presented with mild symptoms, and are diagnosed and managed mainly by doctors in primary healthcare. Generally, the condition can be improved and controlled after being prescribed mild to moderate topical steroid ointments and strengthening skin care. For more serious or urgent cases, doctors would refer the patients to dermatology clinics under the Social Hygiene Service of the Department of Health (DH). 

     In dermatology specialists’ service, topical steroids or non-steroid ointments and oral anti-itch drugs of different strengths are prescribed according to the conditions of the patients, with strengthened skin care education, checking and avoiding of skin irritants or possible allergens that may be exposed in daily life, and follow-up on medication compliance. For some of the cases where the condition of the patient is not satisfactorily improved, the use of systemic oral drugs or light therapy would be further considered according to the therapeutic ladder. 

     The reply, in consultation with the DH and the Hospital Authority (HA), to the question raised by the Hon Chan Hoi-yan is as follows:

(1) The numbers of patients diagnosed with eczema in the General Out-patient Clinics (GOPCs) of the HA in the past five years are as follows: 
 

	2018-19	2019-20	2020-21	2021-22	2022-23
Number of eczema patients in GOPCs	82 093	77 054	81 843	74 768	56 028

Note: The Specialist Out-patient Clinics under the HA does not maintain statistics on eczema patients.

(2) and (3) According to the data maintained by the DH, in 2022 (full year) and 2023 (as at September 30), there were 32 696 and 25 104 new cases respectively referred to the DH (including referrals from private medical institutions and public hospitals).  Among them, 3 923 (12 per cent) and 3 665 (14.6 per cent) cases respectively were assessed and triaged as new cases with serious skin diseases. The DH does not maintain the statistics of patients with severe eczema referred to dermatology clinics from private medical institutions and public hospitals respectively.

     With effect from 2018, the Social Hygiene Service under the DH has adopted a triage system for new cases in dermatology specialty to ensure new cases with serious skin diseases will be cared with priority. This type of new cases will in general be arranged to be seen within eight weeks.

     The DH started to maintain the information of case waiting time systematically since the fourth quarter of 2021. In 2022 and 2023 (as at September 30), all new cases with serious skin diseases were arranged to be seen within eight weeks according to the performance pledge, with a median waiting time of 2.7 and 2.9 weeks respectively. As for other new cases with stable condition, the median waiting time was both 90 weeks, while the overall longest waiting time was 178 weeks and 183 weeks respectively.

(4) and (5) Currently, there are 116 specialists in Dermatology and Venereology on the Specialist Register of the Medical Council of Hong Kong in Hong Kong where most are in private practice. There are 29 doctors serving in the Social Hygiene Service under the DH. Among them, nine are specialists in Dermatology and Venereology, while the remaining 20 doctors are members of the Hong Kong College of Physicians and have finished Basic Physician Training. For the HA, there are eight doctors providing dermatology services, among whom four are specialists in Dermatology and Venereology. In addition to consultation, specialists in the Social Hygiene Service under the DH also provide support and coaching to other doctors in the Social Hygiene Service to maintain and improve the service quality of local dermatology specialty and to train more local specialists in Dermatology. 

     Eczema patients with relatively mild conditions are generally manageable by the primary healthcare doctors whom they are familiar with in a holistic approach and most cases do not require referral to dermatology clinics for follow-up. There are a total of nine clinics under the Social Hygiene Service of the DH that provide specialist dermatology service in different districts. These clinics can provide convenient and accessible service for cases with more serious or urgent cases which require referral to dermatology clinics. There is no current plan for the Government to set up treatment centre to treat serious eczema cases in a centralised way. read more

     Following is a question by Dr the Hon Dennis Lam and a written reply by the Acting Secretary for Health, Dr Libby Lee, in the Legislative Council today (November 8): Question:      It has been reported that a nu… read more

     Following is a question by the Hon Benson Luk and a written reply by the Deputy Financial Secretary, Mr Michael Wong, in the Legislative Council today (November 8):

Question:

     The Government announced on September 14 this year the commencement of the “Night Vibes Hong Kong” activities. Different sectors of the community play their part in staging a wealth of attractive night-time events with local characteristics all over the city starting from mid-September, covering, among others, diversified leisure, harbourfront leisure, festive and vibrant, as well as art and cultural experiences to attract patrons to different districts and stimulate consumption. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) whether it has compiled interim statistics or made interim estimations on the “Night Vibes Hong Kong” Campaign; if so, of the following information to date: (i) the number of activities held, (ii) the number of participating commercial organisations, (iii) the number of communities involved, and (iv) the number of participants in various activities; if not, the reasons for that;

(2) of the number of “Night Vibes Hong Kong” activities to be held between now and the next Lunar New Year, and whether it has estimated the number of additional tourists and the economic benefits to be brought to Hong Kong by these activities; if so, of the specific details; if not, the reasons for that;

(3) whether it has plans to regularise some of the “Night Vibes Hong Kong” activities; if so, of the specific details; if not, the reasons for that; and

(4) whether it has formulated short to medium term plans for developing the night-time economy as a whole; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Reply:

President,

     The Government launched the “Night Vibes Hong Kong” Campaign in mid-September this year, staging in collaboration with various organisations a wealth of attractive night-time events with local characteristics covering entertainment, arts, culture, consumption and more across the city. The campaign aims to unite different sectors of the community in creating a dynamic vibe, so that citizens and tourists may experience the vibrancy and energy of Hong Kong’s nightlife. Apart from participating in various exciting activities, citizens and tourists may also enjoy special offers from different organisations.

     My reply to the Hon Benson Luk’s question is as follows:

(1) Since mid-September this year, more than 25 “Night Vibes Hong Kong” events have been or are being held to date. In addition to events organised by government departments, we received overwhelming support from various organisations for the campaign. Night-time activities were held and special offers were provided at over 80 shopping malls, fare concessions were offered by public transport operators and major events such as the National Day Fireworks Display and the Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival were held. Details of the events could be found at: www.nightvibeshk.gov.hk/en/events.php.

     The “Night Vibes Hong Kong” Campaign has received positive feedback from citizens and tourists since its launch. In respect of night-time events organised by government departments, the lantern carnivals held during the Mid-Autumn Festival recorded an accumulated attendance of around 660 000, with more than 300 000 visited the lantern carnival at Victoria Park. Starting from September 29, the Hong Kong Museum of Art, the Hong Kong Science Museum and the Hong Kong Space Museum have extended their opening hours on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, with special programmes featured on Saturday evenings. As at October 29, the three museums received a total of over 7 200 visitors during the evening extended hours. Victoria Habour is a symbol of Hong Kong and as at October 31, some 270 000 people have visited the night-time events on the three harbourfront sites. Other “Night Vibes Hong Kong” activities were also well-received. For instance, the National Day Fireworks Display attracted over 430 000 spectators on both sides of Victoria Harbour, while some 140 000 people participated in the Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival held at the Central Harbourfront. Individual shopping malls also recorded an increase in visitor flow.

(2) to (4) A series of “Night Vibes Hong Kong” events will continue to be rolled out. We will continue to provide more choice of activities for citizens during the festivals to enhance the joyful atmosphere. These events include festive activities over Christmas, New Year countdown celebrations and Lunar New Year fairs. The Home and Youth Affairs Bureau will also actively promote the organisation of activities in various districts in the first half of next year. The Government will continue to encourage different organisations to stage attractive night-time events with local characteristics. Citizens and tourists may visit the thematic website “Night Vibes Hong Kong” (www.nightvibeshk.gov.hk/) for the latest event updates.

     A variety of events across the territory could create a lively festive atmosphere in Hong Kong and at the same time, bring more businesses for different sectors, such as tourism, retail consumption and catering. Some shopping mall operators have indicated that the Government’s promotion of night-time events has stimulated citizens’ willingness of spending. Individual retailers have also said that business has seen an increase by 20 per cent to 30 per cent. Relevant governemt departments will continue to proactively co-ordinate and provide appropriate assistance to the event organisers. We have not made any specific estimation of the number of additional tourists and extra economic benefits that the “Night Vibes Hong Kong” Campaign may bring.

     The change of lifestyle habits following the global pandemic would take time to adjust. “Night Vibes Hong Kong” provides more choices of night-time activites in Hong Kong, allowing citizens and tourists to participate in them according to their interest while revitalising the city’s nightlife at the same time. We will continue to consider the views of the public, review the effectiveness of the campaign in a timely manner and listen to stakeholders’ views on the potential future development. Meanwhile, the Government will keep exploring every possible means to boost our overall economy, including night-time economy. read more

     The effective exchange rate index for the Hong Kong dollar on Wednesday, November 8, 2023 is 106.0 (up 0.1 against yesterday’s index). read more