Tag Archives: China

     Following is a question by the Hon Elizabeth Quat and a written reply by the Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, in the Legislative Council today (March 27):
     
Question:

     There are views that with the worsening of population ageing in Hong Kong, the number of patients with dementia (especially Alzheimer’s disease (AD)) may continue to increase. In addition, some surveys conducted in recent years have pointed out that there is a downward trend of AD patients’ ages, and early screening can effectively prevent and delay the disease, help patients maintain a healthy life as well as effectively reduce the burden on patients’ families and the resources invested by society. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) of the number of confirmed AD patients in Hong Kong in the past five years, with a breakdown by age group and gender; the percentages of the numbers of AD patients in different age groups in their respective populations;

(2) whether it has compiled statistics on the medical expenses incurred by the Government on the provision of services such as treatment and nursing care to each AD patient on average each year; if so, of a breakdown by expenditure item;

(3) given that the current means of diagnosing AD include clinical trial and observation, conducting magnetic resonance imaging and harvesting bone marrow for testing, and it is learnt that a local research team has successfully developed a simple and effective blood test technology that can accurately detect early-stage AD, whether the Government will study the inclusion of such blood test in the scope of routine testing of public hospitals to shorten the time required for diagnosing AD;

(4) as there are views that the general public do not have sufficient awareness of AD and are prone to mistake the relevant symptoms as mere normal ageing phenomena and ignore them, resulting in patients missing the timing for early treatment, of the Government’s plans to step up publicity and education to strengthen public awareness of AD; and

(5) of the measures in place to step up efforts to promote AD-related work on testing, scientific research on drugs and the transformation of scientific research achievements, as well as the details of such measures?

Reply:

President,

     The reply to the question raised by the Hon Elizabeth Quat is as follows:

(1) Alzheimer’s disease belongs to the spectrum of dementia which covers various types of diseases. The Hospital Authority (HA)’s healthcare professional team assesses the conditions and needs of all dementia patients with a multi-disciplinary approach, and provides necessary pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment and follow-up to patients as appropriate to slow down the process of brain degeneration and alleviate the symptoms. The HA collects statistics on the number of dementia patients based on their inpatient and out-patient disease codes and medication records. As the same type of drug can be used on patients with different types of dementia (including Alzheimer’s disease), and the complexity and diversity of diagnosis as well as management of Alzheimer’s disease requires long-term clinical follow-up on cases and professional judgment, the HA system currently maintains the overall number of patients with dementia and is not able to provide an accurate breakdown on the number of patients with Alzheimer’s disease.

     The number of patients with dementia receiving treatment in the HA in the past five years, with breakdown by age group and gender, is at Annex 1.

(2) Dementia patients commonly suffer from multiple chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases, as well as physical deterioration such as memory loss, falls, and continence problem. To flexibly deploy resources, the HA will refer patients to different specialist out-patient clinics of the HA, including medicine, geriatric, psychogeriatric and memory clinic, according to their needs, allowing patients to receive joint consultation and treatment. For example, the geriatric team simultaneously provides services to patients with dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, who are also suffering from other geriatric conditions, while the psychogeriatric team is responsible for supporting dementia patients with severe behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia. As patients with dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, often require services from different specialist out-patient clinics, the healthcare expenditure arising from the provision of treatment and care services to such patients cannot be separately quantified. The cost incurred for the medical services provided by the HA to patients aged 65 or above in the past three years is at Annex 2.

(3) Dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, is a disease caused by a decline in brain function due to neurological changes. Since the loss of brain function is irreversible, early pharmacological and non-pharmacological support (e.g. reminiscence, multi-sensory and cognitive training, etc) can slow down the process of brain degeneration and alleviate the symptoms.

     The HA provides laboratory testing services to support clinical diagnosis and monitoring of various diseases by various clinical specialties. When introducing new laboratory testing services, the HA will consider relevant factors such as clinical benefits, the safety and efficacy of the new technology, the availability of manpower and expertise, the capacity and technical adaptability of the laboratory. The HA is exploring the feasibility of introducing the relevant blood test and will consider introducing the laboratory testing service through the established mechanism in due course.

(4) The Government spares no effort in the promotion and public education of Alzheimer’s disease towards the public. The Department of Health has all along been committed to the publicity and education of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, and has been providing latest health information through various channels, including the Elderly Health Service website, the Elderly Health Information Hotline, education kit for elderly carers, online videos, media interviews, the Elderly Health Service Newsletter and health talks to enhance public understanding of the disease and provide family members of dementia patients and carers of the elderly with practical skills and insights in managing diseases. In addition, the HA has been implementing various health promotion activities, including organising educational talks and publishing pamphlets, to raise community awareness towards dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease.

     The Social Welfare Department (SWD) launched a territory-wide public education campaign Dementia Friendly Community Campaign from September 2018 to March 2023 to enhance public understanding of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, and to encourage the community to show care and take action to support dementia patients and their carers. The SWD has also allocated additional programme resources to all District Elderly Community Centres and Neighbourhood Elderly Centres in Hong Kong to organise educational activities at district or neighbourhood level to raise public awareness of dementia.

(5) Dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, is a disease caused by a decline in brain function due to neurological changes. At present, there is no cure for dementia. Patients can slow down the degenerative process of the brain and alleviate the symptoms with pharmacological and non-pharmacological support (e.g. reminiscence, multi-sensory and cognitive training, etc).

     It was announced in “The Chief Executive’s 2023 Policy Address” that the Government would spare no effort bolstering the development of medical innovation, which can bring the benefits of good drugs and research and development (R&D) to patients in Hong Kong. We will encourage innovative R&D of advanced and effective new drugs in Hong Kong, and adopt measures to promote the transformation of innovative technologies into clinical applications to benefit more patients.

     The Government will enhance the current evaluation and registration mechanism for drugs, and establish an internationally renowned regulatory authority of drugs and medical devices. Specifically, the Government will leverage medical strengths of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) in a more proactive and efficient manner, and establish the Hong Kong Centre for Medical Products Regulation, to implement the long-term objective of establishing an authority that registers drugs and medical devices under the “primary evaluation” approach, i.e. to directly evaluate drugs and medical devices in Hong Kong based on clinical trial data. This will help accelerate the clinical use of new drugs and medical devices, and drive the development of industries relating to the R&D and clinical testing of medical products.

     At the same time, the Government plans to set up the Greater Bay Area International Clinical Trial Institute to provide a one-stop clinical trial support platform for biomedical and research institutions, to co-ordinate clinical trial resources in the public and private healthcare sectors in the HKSAR, and to further enhance the development of clinical trials, which will complement the development of the “primary evaluation” mechanism.

     The above measures will help provide better pharmacological support to different groups of patients in Hong Kong, including those suffering from dementia and amongst which, Alzheimer’s disease. The Government will continue to closely monitor the latest developments in the diagnosis and treatment of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, with a view to providing appropriate care to the patients concerned. read more

     Police are investigating a murder and attempted suicide case in Kowloon City today (March 27) in which an 84-year-old man died.      At 4.30am, Police received a report that a woman was found lying unconsciously in a flat on Beacon Hill R… read more

     Following is a question by the Hon Judy Chan and a written reply by the Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, in the Legislative Council today (March 27):
 
     It is learnt that instead of teaching sex education as an independent subject, the Government has all along integrated the various related topics into relevant subjects, and allowed secondary and primary schools to devise school-based curricula on their own and decide on their principles and teaching modes in respect of implementing sex education. Nevertheless, a survey has found that a very large proportion of secondary schools do not have time for teaching sex education because the curriculum schedule is too tight, and the level of sex knowledge among young people in Hong Kong has been persistently unsatisfactory over the years. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) of the learning and teaching resources produced by the Education Bureau over the past three years in support of the implementation of sex education in schools;
 
(2) whether it has plans to review the current situation of the implementation of sex education and specify the lesson time for sex education, with a view to enhancing the level of sex knowledge among young people; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
 
(3) whether it has plans to update the Guidelines on Sex Education in Schools compiled in 1997 and adopt the Guidelines afresh; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
 
(4) as there are views that information related to sex education available online varies, and that secondary and primary students have difficulty in differentiating the authenticity of such information, whether the Government will consider stepping up promotional efforts on sex education outside schools, so as to provide them with bona fide information; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
     Sex education is an important component of values education in primary and secondary schools. Considering that sex education is interrelated with rather than separated from other cross-curricular domains in values education (such as moral education, life education, law-abiding education, and media and information literacy education), and covers personal, family, social communication, community, national and global aspects of life, it should not be delivered as an independent subject. Instead, it should be implemented as a cross-curricular initiative with values education being the main axle connecting different subjects, and life-wide learning activities, etc. The Education Bureau (EDB) has been supporting schools by continuously updating curriculum guides, developing learning and teaching resources, and providing training for teachers to strengthen students’ understanding of knowledge related to sex education from an early age while developing their critical thinking skills and nurturing their interpersonal skills through different subjects, cross-curricular values education and life-wide learning activities, etc. The objectives are to help students develop proper values and positive attitudes towards life, and practice appropriate behaviour while building healthy interpersonal relationships. 
 
     In consultation with the Health Bureau, our consolidated reply to the question raised by the Hon Judy Chan is as follows:
 
(1) to (3) Learning elements related to sex education, including personal growth, hygiene, puberty, making friends, dating, marriage, respect for others, cherishing and protecting oneself, gender equality and gender relationship, sexual harassment and refusal to others’ offenses, concern the physiological, psychological and social aspects of sex. These learning elements are all covered in the primary and secondary school curricula (such as General Studies/Primary Humanities and Primary Science; Science, and Life and Society/Citizenship, Economics and Society at the junior secondary level; and Ethics and Religious Studies, and Health Management and Social Care at the senior secondary level). Schools implement sex education through relevant Key Learning Areas and subjects as well as weekly assemblies, class teacher periods or guidance periods, etc, thereby fostering students’ all-round development, equipping them with relevant knowledge on sex education and proper values and attitudes.
 
     In recent years, the EDB has pointed out clearly on a number of occasions (Note 1) that it has been advocating since the implementation of curriculum reform in 2001 a comprehensive and integrative approach to promoting values education that includes sex education in order to provide students with holistic and authentic learning experiences. The EDB has also repeatedly emphasised that the related guidelines issued before 2001, including the Guidelines on Sex Education in Schools (1997), are no longer instructional documents for schools. Furthermore, reports were made to the Legislative Council (LegCo) in 2018 (Note 2) and 2022 (Note 3) respectively to inform the LegCo and the general public that various domains of values education would be promoted with an integrative and all-encompassing approach.
 
     Having conducted a holistic curriculum review, the Task Force on Review of School Curriculum agreed with the EDB’s holistic and integrative cross-curricular approach to promoting the different domains of values education (including sex education) in its Final Report issued in 2020 (Note 4). In the Values Education Curriculum Framework (Pilot Version) promulgated by the EDB in 2021, a further step was taken to list sex education as one of the major enhancement items. Expected learning outcomes were set for students at different key stages for schools to plan curriculum and pedagogy accordingly. By following the latest curriculum guides and documents issued by the EDB, schools will professionally formulate an appropriate sex education curriculum, taking into account their respective school mission and context as well as students’ growth characteristics and needs. Schools have generally accepted, agreed with and adopted the integrative cross-curricular approach in implementing sex education. In view of this, it is appropriate to allow schools flexibility in arranging lesson time, combining relevant learning activities within and beyond the classroom, as well as creating a positive learning atmosphere for implementing values education (including sex education).
 
     To support schools in fostering students’ proper values and attitudes, the EDB continuously updates and develops relevant learning and teaching resources on different topics of sex education based on students’ daily life and developmental needs. Such resources include animation resources, “Life Event” Exemplars and a dedicated resource website on Self Protection, covering themes such as gender equality, prevention of sexual abuse, sexual harassment among peers and internet romance/naked chat. The relevant learning and teaching resources have been uploaded onto the EDB website for teachers’ reference and use within and beyond the classroom. The learning and teaching resources produced by the EDB in the past three years are set out at the Annex. The EDB has also assisted the Hong Kong Police Force in publishing the “Youth Crime Prevention Booklet” series over the past two years, providing information on content such as the risks of social networking on the Internet, sex-related crime such as naked chat blackmail, ways to prevent crime and support services so as to enhance students’ law-abiding awareness, critical thinking skills and self-protection ability.
 
     The EDB has been monitoring and reviewing the implementation of sex education in schools through channels such as inspection, school visits and routine communication with schools so that professional advice and support can be provided to facilitate schools’ self-improvement and sustainable development. Schools have generally accepted, agreed with and adopted an integrative, cross-curricular approach to implementing values education (including sex education) with a view to providing students with holistic learning experiences. The EDB will continue to provide professional support and work with relevant government departments and organisations/bodies to help schools implement sex education.
 
(4) In view of the rapid advancement of information technology, the EDB steps up its efforts to integrate sex education with the learning elements of media and information literacy education for incorporation into the primary and secondary curricula at different key stages, and strives to nurture students’ information literacy so as develop them into effective and ethical users of information and communication technology, enabling them to distinguish the authenticity of information and equipping them with the relevant knowledge, abilities, proper values and attitudes, thereby protecting themselves both in the real world and on the Internet, and refusing inappropriate and unreasonable behaviour on social media.
 
     As for the publicity efforts on promoting sex education outside schools, the Student Health Service (SHS) of the Department of Health has been implementing the Adolescent Health Programme to promote and improve the physical, mental and psychosocial health of adolescents through school-based health promotion services in secondary schools in the form of outreach programmes. The programme covers a wide range of topics, including the Sex Education series which are delivered by means of talks, group discussions on different scenarios, role playing, games, etc, to explore various themes including changes during puberty, skills in getting along with the opposite gender, differences between friendship and romantic love, handling of a relationship (e.g. dating, break-up of a relationship), etc. The programme also covers the relationship between sex and love as well as the consequences of casual sex to guide students to understand the importance of safe sex. In addition, the principles and methods of contraception, knowledge on sexual harassment and how to handle them, as well as the impacts of pornographic culture on adolescents would be discussed to cultivate in students a correct attitude towards sex. In 2022/23 school year, the Adolescent Health Programme conducted nearly 200 talks on sex education to 190 Secondary Schools with nearly 20 000 students attended.

     In addition, the SHS of the Department of Health regularly conducts health talks on sex education at the Student Health Service Centres (SHSC), and through individual health counselling, to enable students and parents to understand the changes during puberty, and provides information on sex education online, including the publicity on importance of sex education at home. In 2022/23 school year, the SHSC provided information about puberty to more than 74 000 primary school students during individual health counselling. The SHS will continue to promote sex education and regularly review and update the contents and methods used to meet the needs of the adolescents.
 
     Apart from school education, the influences of family education, social atmosphere and cyber culture on young people are also factors of the effective implementation of values education (including sex education) that should not be neglected. It certainly requires the concerted efforts among parents, government departments, non-governmental organisations, media, and all sectors of society to bring positive messages across.
 
Note 1: LC Paper No. CB(4)535/17-18(02) of the LegCo Panel on Education dated February 2, 2018, a written reply to the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) dated February 12, 2019, and the meeting with the EOC on October 12, 2022.
Note 2: LC Paper No. CB(4)535/17-18(02) of the LegCo Panel on Education dated February 2, 2018, and LC Paper No. CB(2)768/17-18(01) of the LegCo Panel on Health Services dated February 5, 2018.
Note 3: LC Paper No. CB(4)41/2022(01) of the LegCo Panel on Education dated February 8, 2022.
Note 4: Page 17 of the “Task Force on Review of School Curriculum Final Report” (2020). read more

     The Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, will depart tomorrow (March 28) for Beijing, Shaanxi and Yunnan.
 
     On March 29, Dr Choi will attend the opening ceremony of the National Security Education Study Tour in Beijing.
 
     On March 30, Dr Choi will proceed to Shaanxi to meet officials of the Department of Education of Shaanxi Province in Xi’an. She will also lead a delegation of Chinese history teachers for a study tour to Yan’an.
 
     On April 2, Dr Choi will depart for Kunming, Yunnan, to attend the closing ceremony of the Yunnan cultural exchange tour under the Strive and Rise Programme. During the trip, Dr Choi will meet officials of the local government and visit a local university.
　　
     Dr Choi will return to Hong Kong on the afternoon of April 3. During her absence, the Under Secretary for Education, Mr Sze Chun-fai, will be the Acting Secretary for Education. read more

     Following is a question by the Hon Martin Liao and a written reply by the Acting Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Dr Bernard Chan, in the Legislative Council today (March 27):
 
Question:
 
     The Chief Executive indicated in the 2023 Policy Address that “headquarters economy” will be developed. Nonetheless, it has been reported that the number of multinational companies with regional headquarters (RHQs) set up in Hong Kong last year has decreased by 75 to 1 336 as compared with that of the year before last, and some companies have relocated their RHQs from Hong Kong to Singapore. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) given that the number of multinational companies with RHQs set up in Hong Kong has recorded a drop continuously despite Hong Kong’s full resumption of normal travel last year, whether the authorities will approach those companies that have withdrawn from Hong Kong to look into the reasons for their withdrawal; if so, of the details;
 
(2) given that the Government indicated in the 2023 Policy Address that it will explore with the relevant Central authorities measures to facilitate Mainland enterprises in setting up RHQs in Hong Kong, such as arrangements for investments relating to capital account, of the details and implementation timetable of the relevant measures;
 
(3) given that there are views that Hong Kong’s low tax rates and free flow of information are ranked as important factors for enterprises in choosing to set up offices in Hong Kong, but according to a research publication of the Legislative Council Secretariat, some enterprises find that the favourableness of the relevant factors has been weakened, and there are also views pointing out that upon the introduction of the global minimum tax proposal, tax concession is not the only consideration of enterprises in choosing to set up offices in Hong Kong, whether the Government has considered formulating medium and long-term planning for developing “headquarters economy”, as well as rolling out complementary incentive measures in respect of land, talent, innovation and technology, children’s education, etc; if so, of the details; and
 
(4) given that there are views pointing out that the Government’s definition of RHQs is not comprehensive enough as some smaller-‍sized RHQs covered by the definition have limited contribution to the economy of Hong Kong, whether the Government will consider reviewing the existing criteria in defining RHQs, including the capital size of the enterprises concerned, the size of their RHQs in Hong Kong, etc; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
     Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK) is committed to attracting and retaining foreign direct investment, including Mainland and overseas companies’ regional headquarters, regional offices and local offices in Hong Kong, thereby promoting the development of various sectors and enhancing impetus for economic growth in Hong Kong.
 
     On the Hon Martin Liao’s question, upon consulting the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau (FSTB), InvestHK and the Office for Attracting Strategic Enterprises (OASES), my reply is as follows:
 
(1) Since the Government began to relax anti-epidemic measures in end-2022, InvestHK has already stepped up its engagement efforts with overseas and Mainland companies across various sectors to gauge their sentiments, understand their concerns and needs, provide updates on Hong Kong’s latest business opportunities and offer appropriate support. Subsequently, with the full resumption of cross-boundary travel with the Mainland since February 2023 and lifting of the mask mandate from March 2023, InvestHK further strengthened its engagement efforts, including identifying targeted companies that might have relocated some or all of their operations from Hong Kong earlier due to COVID-19, and providing the necessary support to facilitate their businesses to return to Hong Kong. InvestHK will continue its work on this front.
 
(2) The 2023 Policy Address announced that the Government would develop “headquarters economy” to attract Mainland and overseas companies to set up headquarters/corporate divisions in Hong Kong, bringing in quality enterprises to explore the immense opportunities under the national and international dual circulation initiative. The initiative will facilitate foreign enterprises to tap into the Mainland market, and also assist Mainland enterprises in expanding abroad. The Government understands that many enterprises have cross-boundary funding needs arising from business development or research activities. Our ability to facilitate such funding requirements could incentivise enterprises to establish in Hong Kong. The FSTB will explore with relevant Mainland authorities measures to facilitate Mainland enterprises to set up headquarters/corporate divisions in Hong Kong (such as arrangements conducive to capital investment), with a view to developing “headquarters economy” in Hong Kong. The detailed measures, including proposals applicable to the development of headquarters businesses, will be announced in a timely manner once they are ready for implementation.
 
(3) The Government agrees that different enterprises may have different considerations when deciding whether to set up businesses in Hong Kong. In this regard, when carrying out its investment promotion work, InvestHK will follow relevant bureaux’ policy steer to actively attract and assist enterprises that are interested in setting up and expanding businesses in Hong Kong, and offer one-stop customised services, from the planning to implementation stages, so as to assist the enterprises to set up headquarters/corporate divisions and other businesses in Hong Kong. In addition, the OASES, which was established in end-2022 as announced in the 2022 Policy Address, will also formulate facilitation measures and offer tailor-made proposals in the light of individual strategic enterprises’ needs so as to assist them in realising their plans in Hong Kong.
 
(4) According to the definition by the Census and Statistics Department, a “regional headquarters” refers to an office with parent company located outside Hong Kong which has managerial control over offices and/or operations in the region (i.e. Hong Kong plus one other place or more). With the evolving global business environment and trends, the Government will keep pace with the times and review the relevant definition as necessary, so as to tie in with the overall investment promotion work.
 
     In 2023, InvestHK assisted a total of 382 enterprises to establish or expand their operations in Hong Kong, an increase of 27 per cent when compared with 2022. This figure well exceeded the performance indicator as set out in the 2022 Policy Address on a pro-rata basis (i.e. to attract at least a total of 1 130 enterprises to set up or expand their operations in Hong Kong from 2023 to 2025). These enterprises included those that have returned to Hong Kong after previously relocating their businesses elsewhere, those that set up in Hong Kong for the first time, as well as those that continued to expand their existing businesses. They brought in direct investment of more than $61.6 billion and created over 4 100 jobs within the first year of operation or expansion.
 
     Meanwhile, the OASES is focusing to attract high-potential and representative strategic enterprises from around the globe, particularly those from industries of strategic importance, such as life and health technology, artificial intelligence and data science, financial technology, and advanced manufacturing and new energy technology. As at mid-March 2024, the Government has successfully attracted over 40 companies to set up or expand their operations in Hong Kong, including companies with a market capitalisation/valuation of over $10 billion, or those engaging in cutting-edge technologies. Many of them are planning to set up headquarters/corporate divisions in Hong Kong. They are expected to invest over $40 billion in Hong Kong, and create over 13 000 jobs over the next few years. Their presence in Hong Kong will attract upstream, midstream and downstream partners from their industrial supply chains, promoting the vibrant development of our innovation and technology sector. The OASES will continue to enhance promotion of our various schemes to attract investments and businesses, our new policy measures as well as the advantages of Hong Kong in the Mainland and overseas markets. It will also take into account future industry development and the latest government policies when formulating promotional strategies tailored for individual markets, with a view to attracting high-quality enterprises from around the world, in particular those that are relevant to Hong Kong’s development of the “eight centres”, to set up their headquarters/corporate divisions in Hong Kong.
 
     The above has fully demonstrated the favourable business environment of Hong Kong, which continues to attract Mainland and overseas companies from different sectors to set up or expand their businesses in Hong Kong, and that Mainland and overseas companies continue to be fully confident in Hong Kong and have therefore chosen to invest locally, leveraging Hong Kong’s distinctive advantages of enjoying strong support of the motherland and being closely connected to the world under “one country, two systems”, Hong Kong’s roles as a “super-connector” and “super value-adder” and other core advantages, in order to better seize the opportunities arising from the post-pandemic recovery. The Government will continue to take proactively forward its work to attract enterprises and investment. read more