â€‹Following is the speech by the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, at UNICEF HK 35th Anniversary Gala Dinner today (February 24):
 
Judy (Chairman of Hong Kong Committee for UNICEF, Ms Judy Chen), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
 
     Good evening. It gives me great pleasure to join you all to celebrate the 35th anniversary of UNICEF Hong Kong. Today's gala dinner is a wonderful occasion for UNICEF Hong Kong to thank its sponsors and partners. 
 
     Children are our hope for the future. Their potential and talent are key to driving society to move forward. UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories worldwide to support children in need. In our city, UNICEF Hong Kong has been joining with the Government to promote children's rights through a number of children- and youth-related programmes.  
 
     An example of such joint efforts is the "Say Yes To Breastfeeding" campaign initiated by UNICEF Hong Kong and supported by the Health Bureau and the Department of Health. Since its launch in 2015, the campaign has received positive responses from various sectors. It now covers close to 440 breastfeeding spaces for public access, as well as over 1 200 workplaces for working parents, offering greater convenience to breastfeeding mothers. These actions speak of UNICEF Hong Kong's efforts in caring for children.
 
     The current-term Government continues to safeguard children's rights and well-being. I am leading a high-level Commission on Children, with members coming from government bureaux and departments, as well as relevant sectors of society. Our mission is to drive children-related policies and initiatives, with strategies and priorities set on children's development and advancement. 
 
     In particular, the Government takes children's right to protection, free from harm and abuse, very seriously, and our pro-children efforts are now focused on two key areas. 
 
     First, we are preparing for establishing a mandatory reporting mechanism for suspected child abuse cases, with a view to achieving early and effective intervention into such mishaps. Our aim is to introduce the bill into the Legislative Council in the first half of this year.  
 
     Second, we are conducting a holistic review on residential child care and related services to better care for children without parental care or children with urgent care needs. With the first-phase review completed last year, we are following up a number of recommendations. They include providing additional frontline support staff, enhancing the manning ratio of child care services, and strengthening inspection and enforcement. 
 
     Meanwhile, the Government is equally determined to support pre-school children with special needs. The Government Budget, announced just two days ago, has allocated an annual recurrent expenditure of about $174 million for offering comprehensive and timely assistance to pre-school children with different levels of special needs. Inter-disciplinary service teams under a school-based and integrated approach will be deployed to achieve optimum results. 
 
     Turning to long-term youth development plans, the Government launched a Youth Development Blueprint last December. It contains over 160 concrete actions and measures, seeking to nurture a young generation with an affection for the motherland and Hong Kong, and equip them with a global perspective, an aspiring mindset and positive thinking. I am glad to know that UNICEF Hong Kong, in line with our work, has been running children- and youth-related programmes to meet their different developmental needs.
 
     Ladies and gentlemen, my congratulations, once again, to UNICEF Hong Kong on its 35 years of dedication and achievements. I look forward to joining with you all in supporting our next generation to realise their full potential, building a brighter future for Hong Kong, the motherland and the world.
 
     On that note, I wish every one of you an enjoyable evening. Thank you.

  

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     The Hospital Authority (HA) spokesman announced the initial findings of a surgical light falling incident today (February 24):
 
     The HA has completed inspection on all public hospitals with surgical light facilities, with a total of 471 surgical lights. It is confirmed that most of them are up to safety standards and can continue to be used, yet the screws of 23 surgical lights may be at risk and they have been suspended for use immediately. Eleven of them have been repaired and the remaining surgical lights will be fixed in the short term. Moreover, for the sake of prudence, the HA has additionally inspected 482 medical pendants in public hospitals and they are all confirmed to be safe for use.
 
     The HA Director (Quality and Safety), Dr Michael Wong, said, "The HA is extremely dissatisfied with the vendor's performance, and has ordered them to solve the problem appropriately and submit a thorough report. The HA will stringently follow up the incident, and reserve the rights to pursue relevant responsibilities. Also, the HA has reported the incident to relevant government regulatory bodies. If there are any irregularities found in the investigation, the HA will consider referring the case to law enforcement agencies for follow-up.
 
     "The safety of patients and staff is our utmost concern. The HA has zero tolerance for any risks. All operation rooms have to be safe. Surgical lights that may be at risks are all suspended for use. Patients and staff can rest assured that the operation rooms, which maintain normal service now, have been confirmed to be safe."
 
     After the surgical light falling incident in United Christian Hospital, the HA immediately entrusted an independent expert advisor, Dr Eric Lim, to conduct an in-depth investigation on the cause of the incident. Dr Lim said, "According to the initial investigation, the six screws, which are for fixation, in the main post of the concerned surgical light are all broken. At least four of the screws show signs of metal fatigue. Rusted stain can be found on some of them as well. It is reckoned that metal fatigue of the screws is not formed in a short period of time. Eventually, the screws cannot hold the weight of the surgical lights, causing the lights to fall on the ground."
 
     Dr Lim makes a few recommendations on the maintenance of surgical lights:
 

1. Maintenance and repair must be done by trained and certified technicians;
2. Tools with a correct torque should be used during maintenance, so as to ensure that the screws can withstand a normal amount of torque;
3. If loosened or broken screws are found, replacement should be done by a certified technician, and the vendor should be requested to conduct an investigation; and
4. Screws should be replaced by new ones from time to time.

 
     To ensure the safety of patients and staff, the HA has followed the initial findings concluded by Dr Lim and ordered the vendor to replace the screws in other surgical lights concerned with new ones. Before all replacement of screws is done, the vendor should increase the frequency of surgical light check-ups to once per one to two weeks.
 
     The HA expresses its gratitude to Dr Lim for his root cause analysis and recommendations. The HA will request the vendor to stringently follow up and implement the recommendations concerned, so as to ensure the safety of patients and staff.
 
     In the past few days, elective operations of 141 patients have to be rescheduled and all of them have been rearranged, so that the operations can be carried out as soon as possible.

    

     The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (February 24) that samples of a kind of frozen confection imported from Singapore were found to contain coliform bacteria exceeding the legal limit. The affected products have been marked and sealed, and have not entered the market. The CFS is following up on the case.

     Product details are as follows:

Product name: Salted Caramel Animal-Free Frozen Dessert With Caramel Swirls
Brand: Coolhaus
Place of origin: Singapore
Volume: 473ml
Importer: Ice Age HK Limited
Best before date : March 17, 2024, and March 19, 2024

     A spokesman for the CFS said, "The CFS collected samples of the above-mentioned frozen confection at the import level for testing under its routine Food Surveillance Programme. The test results showed that five samples contained coliform bacteria ranging between 180 and 190 per gram, exceeding the legal limit.

     "The CFS has informed the importer concerned of the irregularities. The affected products have all been marked and sealed, and have not entered the market. The CFS will suspend temporarily the permission to import for sale of the product concerned granted earlier to the importer," the spokesman said. 

     Under the Frozen Confections Regulation (Cap. 132AC), frozen confection for sale should not contain more than 100 coliform organisms per gram. The maximum penalty for offenders is a fine of $10,000 and three months' imprisonment upon conviction. The fact that coliform count exceeding the legal limit indicated that the hygienic conditions were unsatisfactory, but did not mean that consumption would lead to food poisoning.

     The CFS will continue to follow up on the case and take appropriate action to safeguard food safety and public health.

     The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health is today (February 24) investigating an outbreak of upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) at a kindergarten-cum-child care centre in Tuen Mun, and appeals to members of the public and staff of institutions to stay alert and maintain strict personal and environmental hygiene.

     The outbreak involves 20 students, comprising 12 males and eight females aged 3 to 4. They developed symptoms since February 13. Fourteen of them sought medical attention and one required hospitalisation; this student tested positive for parainfluenza virus and was discharged following treatment. All are in stable condition with negative COVID-19 rapid antigen test results.

     The CHP has provided preventive advice against URTI to the kindergarten-cum-child care centre, such as advising the school to arrange cleaning and disinfection, to open windows where appropriate for better ventilation and to separate affected students from other students, etc. The school has been placed under medical surveillance.

     The public should maintain good personal and environmental hygiene against influenza and other respiratory illnesses and note the following:
 

• Receive seasonal influenza vaccination for personal protection;
• Surgical masks can prevent transmission of respiratory viruses from ill persons. It is essential for persons who are symptomatic (even if having mild symptoms) to wear a surgical mask;
• Wear a surgical mask when taking public transport or staying in crowded places. It is important to wear a mask properly, including performing hand hygiene before wearing and after removing a mask;
• Avoid touching one's eyes, mouth and nose;
• Wash hands with liquid soap and water properly whenever possibly contaminated;
• When hands are not visibly soiled, clean them with 70 to 80 per cent alcohol-based handrub;
• Cover the nose and mouth with tissue paper when sneezing or coughing. Dispose of soiled tissue paper properly into a lidded rubbish bin, and wash hands thoroughly afterwards;
• Maintain good indoor ventilation;
• When having respiratory symptoms, wear a surgical mask, refrain from work or attending classes at school, avoid going to crowded places and seek medical advice promptly; and
• Maintain a balanced diet, exercise regularly, take adequate rest, do not smoke and avoid overstress.

     â€‹â€‹Members of the public, particularly children, the elderly and those with chronic diseases, should consult a doctor promptly if they develop symptoms of respiratory tract infection.

The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:
 
     The Legislative Council Subcommittee on Matters Relating to the Development of Smart City visited the HKSKH Bishop Hall Secondary School today (February 24) to learn about the role of STEAM education (i.e. science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) in building a knowledge-based society and developing Hong Kong into a smart city.
 
     Members first received a briefing by representatives of the school on the overview of its STEAM education, including the curriculum, teacher training, learning and teaching as well as student activities.
 
     Members then toured the campus's facilities for STEAM learning and teaching, such as the Artificial Intelligence Innovation Lab, the Coding Lab and the 5G smart hydroponic farming site, to gain a better understanding of the students' learning experience, as well as the initiatives in nurturing an innovation and entrepreneurial culture among the younger generation.
 
     Promoting STEAM education in schools is one of the Government's "smart people" initiatives. Members also took the opportunity to exchange views with representatives of the school on how the Government can better support schools to implement more STEAM-related classes and activities, with a view to providing a local supply of technology professionals and practitioners to support the development of innovation and technology in Hong Kong.
 
     Members who attended the visit were the Subcommittee Chairman, Ms Elizabeth Quat, Subcommittee member Mr Lam San-keung, and non-Subcommittee member Dr Ngan Man-yu.