Press Releases
SFH continues London visit (with photo)
The Secretary for Food and Health, Dr York Chow, continued his visit to
London on May 18 (London time). Joined by the Permanent Secretary for Food
and Health (Food), Mrs Marion Lai; and the Head of the Healthcare Planning
and Development Office of the Food and Health Bureau, Mr Chris Sun, Dr Chow
held a breakfast meeting with Sir Cyril Chantler, an overseas expert in the
Hong Kong Steering Committee on Strategic Review on Healthcare Manpower
Planning and Professional Development, to exchange views on healthcare
manpower planning and professional development.
At the meeting, Dr Chow explained that the Hong Kong Government was
conducting a strategic review on healthcare manpower planning and
professional development, with a view to ensuring the healthy and
sustainable development of Hong Kong's healthcare system. He thanked Sir
Cyril for his valuable advice and views on how to cope with anticipated
demand for healthcare manpower, strengthen professional training and
facilitate professional development.
Dr Chow, Mrs Lai and Mr Sun then paid a visit to the British Medical
Association (BMA). An independent institution, the BMA is a local doctors'
association whose membership covers over two-thirds of doctors practising in
the UK. The BMA seeks to protect the interests of medical professionals and
to enhance the quality of healthcare. Dr Chow met with Professor Vivienne
Nathanson, who is responsible for overseeing medical ethics, to exchange
views on professional qualifications and ethics of medical practitioners, as
well as international health matters.
Dr Chow said, "We are also looking into the regulatory framework of
healthcare regulators. Such exchange enables us to learn from the BMA's
relevant experiences."
In the afternoon, Dr Chow and Mr Sun met with the Director of Strategy of
Monitor, Mr Adrian Masters. Monitor is an organisation responsible for
monitoring fees charged by medical services providers under the UK's
National Health Service (NHS).
They later visited the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and met with the Chief
Executive, Ms Cynthia Bower, and the Policy Manager, Mr Paul Durham. The CQC,
an independent regulator of health and adult social care services in
England, administers a registration scheme under which providers of services
such as hospital services, residential care, personal care and nursing care
are required to meet essential quality and safety standards in order to
qualify for registration and commence operation. The CQC conducts a regular
review of service providers against the essential standards of quality and
safety and disseminates the review results to service users to enable them
to make an informed choice of service providers. The newly established
Monitor works together with the CQC to handle licensing issues for service
providers under NHS.
During the meeting, Dr Chow pointed out that Hong Kong is facing the problem
of an aging population. The Hong Kong Government would take the opportunity
to learn more and make reference to the operation and development of NHS and
adult social care services, he said.
Dr Chow will leave London for Paris on May 19 to attend the World
Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) meeting. That evening, he will meet
members of the China delegation attending the OIE meeting, including the
Vice Minister of Agriculture, Mr Gao Hongbin, and the Director General,
Veterinary Bureau, Ministry of Agriculture, Mr Zhang Zhongqiu.
Ends/Saturday, May 19, 2012
Issued at HKT 14:58
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