The following is issued on behalf of the Office of The Ombudsman:

     The Ombudsman, Mr Jack Chan, today (August 9) announced the launch of a direct investigation to carefully examine the respite services for supporting carers of elderly persons and persons with disabilities.
 
     In recent years, there have been tragic incidents from time to time when carers succumb to unbearable pressure. Failure to rescue in cases involving "the elderly caring for the elderly", "the elderly caring for the disabled", and "the disabled caring for the disabled" have also resulted in tragic incidents. The hardships of life and immense pressure faced by carers are long-standing livelihood problems. Meanwhile, the Office of The Ombudsman has noticed that the current-term Government has put in place various targeted support measures for carers, including expanding the network of respite services and launching the designated hotline for carer support.
 
     The Social Welfare Department is responsible for planning and overseeing respite services, which provide short-term day and residential respite services to elderly persons and persons with disabilities in need, to temporarily relieve carers both physically and mentally. However, government statistics showed that the respite services may be underutilised. The Office has also noted that there are concerns over existing respite services, including location spread imbalance, complicated application procedures and lack of support.
 
     Mr Chan said, "Carers are the life pillars for the elderly and persons with disabilities. Their caregiving role is crucial and indispensable for the survival of the care recipients. Although the Government has adopted a multipronged approach in rendering support for the carers, I want to carefully examine whether there is room for further enhancement of the existing support measures, in order to better alleviate the difficulties faced by the carers and improve their living standards. Hence, I have decided to launch a direct investigation operation to examine the operational arrangements for respite services for the elderly and persons with disabilities, including service planning, application procedures, support and information provided for carers, monitoring on usage and service quality, as well as promotion and publicity, with a view to making targeted recommendations to the Government for improvement where necessary."
 
     The Ombudsman welcomes views from members of the public on this topic. Written submissions should reach the Office of The Ombudsman by September 9, 2024:
 
Address: 30/F, China Merchants Tower, Shun Tak Centre, 168 – 200 Connaught Road Central, Hong Kong
Fax: 2882 8149
Email: complaints@ombudsman.hk

     The Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Mr Tse Chin-wan, today (August 9) met with summer interns of the Post-Secondary Student Summer Internship Programme to listen to their sharing of experiences and feelings during the internship, and encouraged young people to actively equip themselves to seize the opportunities brought by green transformation.
 
     When sharing their work experiences, participants of the internship programme mentioned that the programme provide them the opportunities to participate in environmental protection work in different areas. These tasks are of special significance to protecting the environment and they would be interested in participating in them in the future. 
 
     Mr Tse expressed his delight with the enthusiasm of young people to join the environmental protection industries. He pointed out that promoting green and low-carbon energy transition is now a dominant trend. This is not only for environmental protection and combatting climate change, but also a promising sector for economic development. It has brought enormous opportunities to Hong Kong, such as the development of various low-carbon technologies, green energy, energy storage and other emerging green industries, boosting economic growth and creating employment opportunities, which open up more development opportunities for young people.
 
     Mr Tse said that with numerous opportunities brought by green transformation, young people should seize the internship opportunities to accumulate experience in the actual work environment and actively equip themselves, laying a good foundation for their future career in environmental protection.
 
     Through the internship training, participants can learn more about government initiatives, including promotion of waste reduction and recycling, new energy development, promotion of electric vehicles, and construction of green buildings, with the aim of reducing carbon emissions and energy consumption, while creating a more comfortable and liveable environment in the city. 
 
     This year, a total of 55 students from local and overseas tertiary institutions participated in the summer internship programme organised by the EEB and Environmental Protection Department (EPD). The interns were assigned to work in different units of the EEB and the EPD, covering positions related to environmental protection, ecological conservation, green energy and energy conservation, climate change and sustainable development.
 
     This year's summer internship programme lasted eight weeks from June to August. Apart from working in different units of the EEB and the EPD to gain practical experience, the interns have been arranged to visit various types of recycling facilities, including the Green@Community Recycling Network and glass bottle recycling facilities, as well as environmental protection infrastructure, such as T · PARK, the waste electrical and electronic equipment treatment and recycling facility WEEE ∙ PARK and the West New Territories Landfill, to learn more about the development of environmental protection facilities.

      

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     Regarding an earlier announcement on Vancomycin Resistant Enterococci (VRE) confirmed cases, the spokesperson for Kowloon Hospital gave the following update today (August 9):
 
     Following a contact tracing investigation, one more patient, an 84-year-old male in the extended care ward, was identified as a carrier of VRE while not having signs of infection. The patient is now being treated in isolation and is in stable condition.
 
     The hospital will continue the enhanced infection control measures and closely monitor the situation of the ward concerned. The case has been reported to the Hospital Authority Head Office and the Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health for necessary follow-up.

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     Regarding an earlier announcement on Candida auris carrier cases, the spokesperson for Princess Margaret Hospital made the following update today (August 9):
 
     Following a contact tracing investigation, one more patient, a 73-year-old male in a Medicine and Geriatrics ward, was identified as a carrier of Candida auris without signs of infection. The patient is now being treated in isolation and is in stable condition.
 
     The ward concerned has adopted the following enhanced infection control measures:
 

1. Enhanced patient and environmental screening procedures;
2. Applied stringent contact precautions and enhanced hand hygiene of staff and patients; and
3. Thorough cleaning and disinfection of the wards concerned.

 
     The hospital has reported the cases to the Hospital Authority Head Office and the Centre for Health Protection for follow-up and will continue to closely monitor the situation.
 

     To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Dr Louis Cha (Jin Yong), the Hong Kong Heritage Museum (HKHM) has organised the "A Path to Glory – Jin Yong's Centennial Memorial, Sculpted by Ren Zhe" exhibition. Having been open for nearly five months, the exhibition has been popular among the local public and tourists, and has received over 300 000 visitors.

     The Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Kevin Yeung, visited the HKHM today (August 9) to welcome the 300 000th visitor of the exhibition together with the co-curator of the exhibition and Founder of Guyu Cultural Development Foundation, Mr William Fong, sculptor Ren Zhe, and the Museum Director of the HKHM, Mr Brian Lam. They were joined by Cantopop singer Ms Teresa Cheung, who sang very popular songs such as "When Will I See You Again" and "Love in Two Hearts" from the TV drama "The Giant Eagle and its Companion". They presented to the 300 000th visitor a souvenir pack which included an exhibition poster, a limited-edition catalogue produced by Ren Zhe Studio and autographed by Mr Fong and sculptor Ren Zhe. 

     Ms Kong is the 300 000th visitor to the exhibition. This was her second time visiting it. She enjoyed the exquisite craftsmanship of Ren Zhe's sculptures, particularly the fine details of the weapons held by the martial arts characters. Ms Kong also thinks that the multimedia presentation created by artist Victor Wong complemented the exhibition's atmosphere well. 

     The novels and characters created by the heavyweight novelist, Jin Yong, are of the collective memory of the Chinese people of Hong Kong and the world. Supported by Jin Yong's family and Ming Ho Publications Corporation Limited, the HKHM has organised the first authorised sculpture exhibition showcasing Jin Yong's classic martial arts characters. Sculptor Ren Zhe made use of his unique sculptural techniques, exquisite craftsmanship and visionary creativity to bring 22 of Jin Yong's well-known characters including Guo Jing, Huang Rong, Yang Guo, Xiaolongnu, Linghu Chong, Feng Qingyang, Zhang Wuji and Ren Woxing to life. For details of the exhibition, please visit hk.heritage.museum/en/web/hm/exhibitions/data/renzhe.html. 

     Members of the public can also participate in the "A journey of Discovery, Finding Jin Yong's Novel Characters in the Community" activity. To spot sculptures under the same series located at different cultural and tourist landmarks around town, scan the QR codes near the sculptures and answer questions to redeem limited-edition gift sets. Besides the HKHM, participants can also find sculptures at Hong Kong Park and Victoria Park under the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD). For details, please visit the website of the organiser at en.jinyong.hk/blogs/events. 

     The HKHM has been committed to promoting the preservation, research, display, education and promotion of Hong Kong's pop culture in recent years. Apart from the sculpture exhibition and the permanent Jin Yong Gallery, the HKHM has staged the "A Laugh at the World: James Wong" exhibition to illustrate how the works of the genius, including music, film, television, advertising and literature, capture the essence of contemporary pop culture. James Wong composed many songs for Jin Yong's martial arts films and TV dramas. "A Laugh at the World", "Breadth and Depth of Mountains and Waters" and "You're the Best in the World" are all classics.

     The HKHM will organise the "James Wong's Greatest Hits on Vinyl" music sharing on September 14. Music critic on Cantopop records, Mr Ivan Wong, will share with audiences two of Wong's vintage vinyl records playlists – "James Wong x Jin Yong on Martial Arts Classics" and "Joseph Koo x James Wong on TV Series and Movies". 

     The "A Path to Glory – Jin Yong's Centennial Memorial, Sculpted by Ren Zhe" and "A Laugh at the World: James Wong"exhibitions are programmes of the Hong Kong Pop Culture Festival 2024. The LCSD presented the first Hong Kong Pop Culture Festival last year to great acclaim. This year, the second edition features "Arts & Action" as its theme, taking audiences on a journey through time to explore the charm of Hong Kong's pop culture. It encompasses both "Arts" (creative works) and "Action" (martial arts), an attempt to show the dynamic inheritance, diffusion, integration and breakthroughs within Hong Kong's pop culture. The event lineup offers a diverse range of formats including thematic exhibitions, film screenings, stage performances and outreach activities, and its rich content spans across literature, various art forms and martial arts, clearly showcasing how Hong Kong's vibrant and diverse pop culture stands out from the rest. For more information, please visit www.pcf.gov.hk/en.

     The sculpture exhibition is also one of the activities in the Chinese Culture Promotion Series. The LCSD has long been promoting Chinese history and culture through organising an array of programmes and activities to enable the public to learn more about the broad and profound Chinese culture. For more information, please visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/ccpo/index.html.