Press Releases
Close tripartite co-operation to safeguard public health (with photos)
The Secretary for Food and Health, Dr York Chow, said he hoped that the
Mainland, Hong Kong and Macao would strive to safeguard public health and
foster closer co-operation in healthcare and medical development through the
solid co-operative foundation established and by playing a complementary
role to each other.
He made the above remarks in a speech at the opening ceremony of the Eighth
Joint Meeting of Senior Health Officials of the Mainland, Hong Kong and
Macao in Macao today (January 14).
Citing the handling of the human swine influenza pandemic as an example, Dr
Chow talked about the comprehensive exchanges and co-operation in the
control and prevention of infectious diseases among the health authorities
of the three places.
"We have been maintaining close liaison and exchanging important information
about the epidemic speedily. We have also implemented appropriate preventive
and control measures on the borders to minimise the spread of the disease.
All these have demonstrated the effective operation of the emergency and
notification mechanism for public health emergencies among the Mainland,
Hong Kong and Macao," he said
Dr Chow added that Hong Kong would continue to work closely with the
Ministry of Health and Macao's Health Bureau in disease surveillance and
information exchange to protect public health through joint preventive and
control measures.
He also outlined the work and future work plans of Hong Kong in food safety
and developments in Chinese medicine. These include the formulation of a new
food safety law; expanding the Man Kam To Food Control Office to strengthen
food inspection and quarantine work; setting standards for Chinese
traditional medicines commonly used in Hong Kong and extending the coverage
from the current 60 Chinese traditional medicines to about 200; considering
allowing more renowned Chinese medicine practitioners from the Mainland to
join clinical teaching and research programmes in Hong Kong, as well as
assisting and promoting the market to establish a testing laboratory to
raise the Hong Kong's capability in Chinese medicine testing.
The Eighth Joint Meeting of Senior Health Officials of the Mainland, Hong
Kong and Macao is held in Macao today and tomorrow. The Mainland and Macao
delegations are respectively led by the Vice-Minister of Health, Professor
Huang Jiefu, and the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Mr Cheong U.
Ends/Thursday, January 14, 2010
Issued at HKT 12:06
NNNN
(Photo
1), (Photo
2)