The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:
The Hospital Authority (HA) today (April 29) hosted a welcome ceremony to greet more than 100 Guangdong healthcare professionals, who came to Hong Kong for the Greater Bay Area Healthcare Talents Visiting Programmes that aim to uplift the quality of healthcare sectors in Hong Kong and Guangdong.
The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, welcomed the healthcare professionals from Guangdong Province, "On behalf of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, I extend a warm welcome to the doctors, nurses, and Chinese medicine experts from Guangdong Province participating in the second batch of the Greater Bay Area Healthcare Talents Visiting Programmes. The visiting programmes facilitate bilateral on-site clinical training between healthcare professionals in Hong Kong and Guangdong Province, aiming to improve the quality of medical services in both public healthcare systems. Since the launch of the visiting programmes in the fourth quarter of 2022, I am delighted to see not only an increase in the quantity of exchanges but also an improvement in the quality. The participating healthcare professionals have expanded to various specialties. This will generate a synergy effect in terms of healthcare manpower and service quality, contributing to the establishment of a talent pool and the enhancement of medical standards in the Greater Bay Area, ultimately benefitting patients in the long run."
Deputy Director-General of the Health Commission of Guangdong Province, Mr Deng Linfeng thanked the Health Bureau and the HA for their arrangements. Mr Deng said, "The doctors, nurses and Chinese medicine practitioners participating in the programmes are all experts and mainstays of the Mainland medical institutions. Through the programmes, I hope that we can learn from our fellows in Hong Kong and complement each other, as well as deepen our co-operation to enhance the medical services to bring substantial benefits to each other."
The HA Chairman, Mr Henry Fan, said, "The healthcare professionals from the two places who participated in the programme gave positive feedback to the exchanges. They have learned from each other and broadened their horizons. The HA will continue building co-operative and friendly relations with the Health Commission of Guangdong Province and undertake more extensive and in-depth co-operative projects in both places." He supplemented that International Nurses' Day is only two weeks away. He took the opportunity to express his gratitude to the nurses who participate in the exchanges, who embody the spirit of Nightingale and safeguard the health of patients.
Deputy Director-General of the Co-ordination Department of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Mr Chen Zetao and the HA Chief Executive, Dr Tony Ko, also attended the ceremony.
The participating healthcare professionals arrived in Hong Kong earlier, with two doctors already engaging in exchanges and clinical work at Prince of Wales Hospital and Hong Kong Eye Hospital. Arrangements have been made for approximately 100 nurses to undergo exchanges in different hospitals of the seven clusters, learning various nursing specialist knowledge and clinical work. As for the 13 Chinese medicine experts participating in the programmes, they have already participated in the clinical training of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine in groups at different hospitals. In addition, the HA has received support from the Health Commission of Guangdong Province to expand the specialties and the number of participants in the second phase of the doctor-visiting programmes. Apart from the two ophthalmologists who have already arrived in Hong Kong, it is expected that more doctors will come to Hong Kong for exchanges this year, surpassing the participant count of the first phase.
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