The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     The spokesperson for Cheshire Home, Shatin, made the following announcement today (March 25):

     Three patients (aged 56 to 69) in a male infirmary ward had presented with symptoms of fever since March 21. Appropriate viral tests had been arranged for the patients and their test results were positive for Influenza A. The patients are being treated in isolation and are in stable condition.

     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 following is issued on behalf of the Judiciary:

     Chief Justice Andrew Cheung Kui-nung, Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal, today (March 25) welcomed the acceptance by the Chief Executive of the recommendation of the Judicial Officers Recommendation Commission on the appointment of the Honourable James Leslie Bain Allsop as a non-permanent judge from another common law jurisdiction of the Court of Final Appeal. The Chief Justice noted that the Government would be seeking the endorsement of the Legislative Council of the recommended appointment.

     The Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal Ordinance (Cap. 484) provides for a list of non-permanent Hong Kong judges and a list of judges from other common law jurisdictions. Currently, there are four non-permanent Hong Kong judges and nine non-permanent judges from other common law jurisdictions. The maximum number of non-permanent judges is 30. In hearing and determining an appeal, the Court of Final Appeal is constituted by five judges, i.e. the Chief Justice, three permanent judges and one non-permanent Hong Kong judge or one non-permanent judge from another common law jurisdiction. 

     The recommended appointment of Mr Allsop to the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal will increase the number of non-permanent judges from other common law jurisdictions from nine to 10. This will provide greater flexibility in dealing with the caseload of the Court of Final Appeal.

     The Health Bureau (HHB) introduced eHealth+ developments to representatives from Residential Care Homes for the Elderly (RCHEs) and Residential Care Homes for Persons with Disabilities (RCHDs) today (March 25) through a briefing session, in which Residential Care Home (RCH) representatives were also invited to participate in the eMedication (RCH) project. The briefing session was co-organised by the HHB with the Hospital Authority (HA) and the Logistics and Supply Chain MultiTech R&D Centre (LSCM), and attracted registration from over 600 RCHs. 

     At the briefing session today, an HHB representative introduced to the RCH representatives the nine core functions of eHealth+ (eMedication inclusive), and explained how the eMedication function can help optimise the medication management system and protocol at the RCHs.

     A spokesman for the HHB said, "Medication management is a vital element in safeguarding the health condition of residents in the RCHs. The eMedication function of eHealth+ enables the RCHs to gain access to the electronic prescription information of their residents, thereby minimising the reliance on manual copying procedures and providing convenience to RCHs to follow up on drug distribution and administration. Not only will it improve efficiency but also the drug monitoring within the RCHs, thus reducing the risk of medication incidents. Additionally, pharmacists in the RCHs can utilise the time saved on better monitoring of residents' medication status and taking appropriate follow-up actions.

      "Rigorous and proper medication management is crucial to the caring of patients, the elderly in particular. For patients, eMedication can provide them with comprehensive prescription and dispensing records. This will ensure that medication is handled in a safer and more convenient way for residents in RCHs. We hope that this briefing session can allow RCHs to have a deeper understanding of the new functions of eHealth+, driving them to make better use of the eHealth+ platform," the spokesman added.

     Jointly initiated by the HHB and the HA in collaboration with the LSCM, the eMedication (RCH) project supports participating RCHs and their electronic medication management system suppliers to implement system connections and improve information security. Interested RCHs may contact emedication@lscm.hk by email for more details.

     The Government is rolling out a five-year plan of eHealth+ as announced in the 2023 Policy Address, to transform eHealth from a health record-sharing system into a comprehensive healthcare information infrastructure that integrates functions of healthcare data sharing, service delivery and protocol management. The Government will take forward the eHealth+ plan along four strategic directions, namely One Health Record, One Care Journey, One Digital Front Door to Empowering Tool and One Health Data Repository, with a view to strategically completing the development work of eHealth+ and progressively introducing different features over the next five years.

  

     The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, has accepted the recommendation of the Judicial Officers Recommendation Commission (JORC) on the appointment of the Honourable James Leslie Bain Allsop as a non-permanent judge from another common law jurisdiction of the Court of Final Appeal. Subject to the endorsement of the Legislative Council, the Chief Executive will make the appointment under Article 88 of the Basic Law.

     Mr Lee said, "I am pleased to accept the JORC's recommendation on the appointment of Mr Allsop as a non-permanent judge from another common law jurisdiction of the Court of Final Appeal. Mr Allsop retired from the judicial office of Chief Justice of the Federal Court of Australia in April 2023. He is a judge of eminent standing and reputation. I am confident that he will greatly contribute to the Court of Final Appeal.

     "With the appointment of Mr Allsop, the panel of non-permanent judges from other common law jurisdictions will consist of 10 eminent judges from the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada. The presence of these esteemed jurists from overseas as non-permanent judges of the Court of Final Appeal manifests the exercise of judicial power independently by the Judiciary in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) as protected by the Basic Law. It also helps maintain a high degree of confidence in the HKSAR's judicial system, and enables Hong Kong to maintain strong links with other common law jurisdictions. I have every confidence that these distinguished jurists from overseas with profound judicial experience will continue to be a unique strength of the HKSAR's judicial system."

     Article 90 of the Basic Law provides that the Chief Executive shall obtain the endorsement of the Legislative Council on the appointment of judges of the Court of Final Appeal. The Government will seek the endorsement of the Legislative Council of the recommended appointment in due course.

     The curriculum vitae of Mr Allsop is at the Annex.

     The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, will depart for Hainan tomorrow evening (March 26) to attend the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2024.
           
     Mr Chan will return to Hong Kong on March 28. During Mr Chan's absence, the Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Cheuk Wing-hing, will be the Acting Chief Secretary for Administration.