The Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Kevin Yeung, today (September 3) extended his congratulations to Hong Kong boccia athlete Ho Yuen-kei on winning a gold medal in Women's Boccia Individual BC3 event at the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games.
           
     Mr Yeung said, "Ho Yuen-kei performed at her best and gave full play to her skills in the competition. I am thrilled by her outstanding performance and demeanour of a great athlete."
      
     The Hong Kong, China Delegation has so far won five medals, namely two gold, two silver and one bronze, at the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games. The details are as follows:
 
Gold medal
————–
Boccia: Women’s Individual BC3
Ho Yuen-kei

Boccia: Men’s Individual BC1
John Loung

Silver medal
—————
Boccia: Women’s Individual BC4
Cheung Yuen

Swimming: Women's 100m Butterfly S14
Chan Yui-lam

Bronze medal
—————
Swimming: Women's 100m Breaststroke SB6
Ng Cheuk-yan

     Hong Kong boccia athlete Ho Yuen-kei today (September 2, Paris time) won the gold medal in the Women's Individual BC3 event at the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games. The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, expressed his heartfelt congratulations to Ho Yuen-kei and her coaches.
      
     "With her rich experience, Ho Yuen-kei has performed outstandingly in the competition and shown extraordinary perseverance. All Hong Kong people and I are encouraged and proud of her excellent performance. I wish the Hong Kong boccia team continued success in future competitions to bring honour to Hong Kong," Mr Lee said.
      
     The Hong Kong, China Delegation has so far won two gold medals, two silver medals and one bronze medal at this year's Paralympic Games.

     â€‹In response to recent media reports on suspected non-healthcare professionals providing "bone manipulating" services, the Department of Health (DH) today (September 2) responded as follows:

     In order to safeguard public health and safety, there is a regulatory system in place for healthcare professions in Hong Kong. Among them, there are 13 healthcare professions (Note 1) who are required to undergo statutory registration in order to practise in Hong Kong so as to ascertain that their qualifications are up to standards, and that their professional conducts are regulated by relevant statutory boards and councils. Any person who practises as these healthcare professions or uses these healthcare profession titles without registration may violate relevant laws. In addition, the government has also established an Accredited Registers Scheme for Healthcare Professions as a voluntary accreditation system for five healthcare professions (Note 2).

     The DH urges members of the public to check the qualifications of service providers before receiving healthcare services. They should consult healthcare professionals under regulation for medical diagnosis or when receiving those treatment with higher risks. Members of the public should not casually believe the claims of being able to offer specialised treatments for diseases or injuries from certain personnel who are not registered or accredited as healthcare professionals. Since the professional qualifications and standards of these personnel have not been attested, the safety and effectiveness of the "treatment" could not be assured, and "the treatment" may even worsen the condition or cause injury.
 
     For "bone-manipulating" service, there are a number of healthcare professions in which their scope of practice may involve treatment of similar nature. If the service involves the application of traditional Chinese medicine theory to perform acts or activities prescribed in the Chinese Medicine Ordinance, such practice could be considered as "practising Chinese medicine". According to section 2 of the Chinese Medicine Ordinance, "practising Chinese medicine" means any of the following act or activities-

1. the diagnosis, treatment, prevention or alleviation of any disease or any symptom of a disease;
2. the prescription of Chinese herbal medicines or proprietary Chinese medicines;
3. the regulation of the functional states of the human body,

     on the basis of traditional Chinese medicine in general practice, acupuncture or bone-setting.

     According to section 108 of the Chinese Medicine Ordinance, any person who not being a registered or listed Chinese medicine practitioner (CMP) practises Chinese medicine commits an offence. The offender is liable to a fine at level 6 and imprisonment for 3 years upon conviction.

     In addition, if it involves assessment and treatment by means of remedial exercises or manual therapy of physical disabilities, it might be considered as performing the profession of physiotherapists as stipulated in the Schedule of Cap. 359 Supplementary Medical Professions Ordinance. Section 21 of the Supplementary Medical Professions Ordinance stipulated that a person who practises a profession of physiotherapist without being registered commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine at level 2 and to imprisonment for 6 months. According to section 24(h) of Cap. 428 Chiropractors Registration Ordinance, any person who is not having his name entered in the register of chiropractors, practises chiropractic commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine at level 5 and to imprisonment for one year. The Code of Practice promulgated by Chiropractors Council mentioned that chiropractic is concerned with the pathogenesis, diagnostics, therapeutics and prophylaxis of functional disturbances, pathomechanical states, pain syndromes and neurophysiological effects related to the statics and dynamics of the locomotor system, especially of the spine and pelvis.

     Members of the public who suspect that someone is practising without registration and/or falsely using the title of a registered healthcare professional should report to the Police. The DH and the statutory boards and councils of relevant healthcare professions will provide professional support to the Police as appropriate.

     If members of the public have doubts about the qualifications of the healthcare professionals, they can request the person concerned to provide relevant certification documents. The public can also access the websites of the statutory boards and committees of relevant healthcare professions (www.dh.gov.hk/english/main/main_rhp/main_rhp.html) for the list of various healthcare professions.
 
Note 1: These 13 healthcare professions are medical practitioners, dentists, nurses, Chinese medicine practitioners, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, medical laboratory technologists, optometrists, radiographers, chiropractors, dental hygienists, midwives and pharmacists.
 
Note 2: These 5 healthcare professions are speech therapists, audiologists, dietitians, educational psychologists and clinical psychologists.

     â€‹The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, arrived in Melbourne, Australia, yesterday (September 1, Melbourne time) to begin his visit.

     At noon today (September 2, Melbourne time), Mr Chan attended a luncheon hosted by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, Sydney, where he delivered a keynote speech to over 100 representatives from the political, business and innovation and technology sectors in Melbourne. Mr Chan introduced to them the latest developments of Hong Kong and the opportunities it can create for Australian businesses and enterprises. He emphasised that Hong Kong firmly adhered to the "one country, two systems" principle. With convenient access to the Mainland market, in particular that of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), Hong Kong also has the advantages of the continued practice of common law, a regulatory regime in line with international standards, and connectivity with international capital and markets, making it the best gateway to the GBA, Mainland China and northern Asia. Mr Chan noted that the GBA has a population of approximately 87 million and a per capita GDP of nearly US$40,000 on a purchasing power parity basis, representing a significant market for Australian companies.

     During the luncheon, Mr Chan also discussed the developments of Hong Kong's eight centres, highlighting its advantages in offshore Renminbi services, mutual access with Mainland financial markets, and green finance as an international financial centre. He shared Hong Kong's future blueprint for innovation and technology (I&T) development. That includes attracting strategic enterprises, and establishing the Hong Kong Investment Corporation Limited for making strategic investments, and enhancing collaboration with sister cities in the GBA. These efforts would help Hong Kong to build a vibrant I&T ecosystem. Mr Chan also pointed out that life and health technology is a key development area of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, believing that Hong Kong is an ideal place for relevant Australian companies to expand their businesses and markets.

     Several companies from Hong Kong and Australia shared why they chose Hong Kong to expand their regional business and how Hong Kong's full-chain of financing market creates a favourable development environment for start-ups.

     In the morning, Mr Chan met with the National Chief Executive Officer of the Australia China Business Council (ACBC), Mr Tom Parker, and the President of the ACBC (Victoria), Mr Rhys Roberts, to exchange views on economic situations and business co-operation between the two places. They also discussed strengthening collaboration in such areas as artificial intelligence, green energy, fintech, and the silver economy, and encouraged Australian businesses to leverage Hong Kong to enter GBA markets. Mr Chan noted that Hong Kong's start-up ecosystem is thriving, with about 20 per cent of start-up founders coming from overseas. The Hong Kong Science Park and Cyberport also have in place a series of incubation and acceleration programmes. Mr Chan welcomed Australian start-ups to establish operations in Hong Kong. He mentioned that Hong Kong will continue to host various commercial, financial, and technology mega events and exhibitions. The Australian business community is most welcome to participate.

     In the afternoon, Mr Chan met with representatives of Australian biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. These companies expressed interest in establishing research and development or production bases in Hong Kong, and conducting clinical trials for medicines. Mr Chan detailed Hong Kong's policies and advantages in developing the biotech industry and engaged in in-depth discussions on setting up operations in Hong Kong.

     Yesterday (September 1, Melbourne time), upon arriving in Australia, Mr Chan attended a luncheon organised by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, Sydney and the ACBC, where he introduced to about 50 representatives of Australian wineries, wine merchants, and relevant industries the advantages of Hong Kong as a wine distribution and auction centre. In his speech, he mentioned that Australia is the largest source of wine imports for Hong Kong in terms of volume. Meanwhile Hong Kong removed wine duty years ago and benefits from efficient customs clearance, well-equipped storage facilities, and a comprehensive shipping and transportation network. Hong Kong also hosts numerous large-scale wine exhibitions and themed events every year. Mr Chan invited more Australian wineries and merchants to utilise Hong Kong to access the larger Mainland China and regional markets.

     Mr Chan will continue his itinerary in Melbourne tomorrow (September 3, Melbourne time), which includes attending and delivering a keynote speech at the Asia Summit organised by the Australian Financial Review and the Asia Society Australia.

            

     The Water Supplies Department (WSD) today (September 2) alerted the public to a fraudulent SMS message purportedly issued by the department.

     The WSD received enquiries from members of the public concerning an SMS message purportedly issued by the department. The message requested that recipients settle outstanding payments and click a link (https://wsd-gov.com), which is not a WSD website address.

     The WSD clarified that it did not send the SMS message in question and will not direct customers to other websites with hyperlinks embedded in an SMS message. The department has reported the case to the Police. The WSD reminded that the department is registered in SMS Sender Registration Scheme by the Office of the Communications Authority. All SMS messages issued by the department will include the prefix "#" in the SMS Sender ID for easy identification by the public. 

     Anyone who has provided his or her personal information to the website concerned should contact the Police. For enquiries, please call the WSD's customer enquiry hotline at 2824 5000.