Tag Archives: China

     The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government today (January 21) welcomed the announcement made by the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) on the arrangement to streamline the approval procedures for Hong Kong registered traditional proprietary Chinese medicines (pCms) for oral use to be registered on the Mainland.

     To fully implement the Work Plan for Regulatory Innovation and Development of Pharmaceutical and Medical Device in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the Guangdong Provincial Medical Products Administration (GDMPA) promulgated the notice regarding the streamlining of approval procedures for Hong Kong and Macao registered traditional pCms for external use on August 27, 2021. Since then, the Health Bureau and the Department of Health have been maintaining close communication with relevant Mainland authorities to explore the feasibility of extending the scope of the aforementioned measure to pCms for oral use. The NMPA promulgated today the notice regarding the streamlining of approval procedures for Hong Kong and Macao registered traditional pCms for oral use. The streamlined approval measure will apply to traditional pCms for oral use held by manufacturing companies in Hong Kong, which have been registered with the Chinese Medicine Council of Hong Kong and in use in Hong Kong for more than 15 years. The manufacturing processes of these pCms must comply with the requirements of Good Manufacturing Practice for medicines.
 
     The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, said, “The HKSAR Government warmly welcomes the official implementation of the streamlined approval measure, and expresses gratitude to the Central Government and the NMPA for their staunch support for the development of Chinese medicine in Hong Kong all along. Since the implementation of the streamlined approval procedures for traditional pCms for external use registered in Hong Kong and Macao in 2021, 13 Hong Kong registered pCms have been approved for sale on the Mainland through streamlined procedures. The relevant measure has greatly streamlined the requirements and shortened the time for approval, thereby opening up a more convenient channel for the Hong Kong Chinese medicines industry to tap into the vast market on the Mainland. The new arrangement of extending the measure to pCms for oral use announced today symbolises the acceleration of the implementation of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Chinese medicine policies, which are favourable to Hong Kong, further facilitating Hong Kong pCm manufacturers’ market expansion on the Mainland and promoting the development of the Chinese medicine industry. The HKSAR Government will actively promote the relevant measure to the Hong Kong pCm sector.”

     To assist Hong Kong Chinese medicine traders to make good use of the opportunities brought about by the relevant policy, the Chinese Medicine Development Fund of the Health Bureau launched the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Proprietary Chinese Medicine Industry Development Support Scheme in February 2024 to provide financial support to Hong Kong pCm manufacturers or wholesalers in respect of the registration application, supporting them to make applications for registration on the Mainland with the GDMPA for eligible pCms through the streamlined approval procedures. The Health Bureau will further expand the scope of the Support Scheme in light of the latest policy in a timely manner. read more

　　In light of the recent serious accidents at construction sites for new works, the Labour Department (LD) launched a territory-wide Special Enforcement Operation (SEO) yesterday (January 20), focusing on construction sites with large-scale scaffol… read more

     The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, chaired the fourth meeting of the Steering Committee on District Governance today (January 21) to steer and direct various bureaux and departments in formulating strategies on issues of district concern and to follow up on the implementation progress of the eight key district initiatives identified at the first three meetings.

     Mr Chan said, “With the full implementation of the improved district governance system, the work on district governance has accelerated and become more effective over the past year. Strengthening measures have been introduced across various key areas, covering the elderly and children, environmental hygiene, public security, housing estate environment, road facilities and safety, as well as digital inclusion, achieving substantial results. The Steering Committee will continue to steer bureaux and departments to focus on resolving livelihood issues for the well-being of the people.”

     At the meeting, the Steering Committee discussed a number of district issues of public concern and directed the relevant bureaux and departments to strive to further enhance the community environment and facilities, including (i) improving lighting and ventilation, among others, at public transport interchanges to provide a more comfortable waiting environment for citizens; (ii) stepping up the cleaning of stains and moss on pedestrian walkways to continuously improve the city environment; (iii) strengthening patrols, law enforcement, publicity and education targeted at blackspots of air-conditioners dripping water from buildings this summer to ensure environmental hygiene; and (iv) strengthening thematic plantings to enhance urban landscape aesthetics and attractiveness.

     The Steering Committee also followed up at the meeting on the progress of the eight district initiatives previously identified, namely (1) expanding after-school care services and enhancing support for parents; (2) caring for the elderly and enhancing community support; (3) fostering clean markets and mobilising the community to participate in anti-rodent work; (4) enhancing public order and combating crimes on all fronts; (5) improving pedestrian facilities and ensuring road safety; (6) enhancing the community environment and strengthening local characteristics; (7) improving the environment of public housing estates and creating comfortable homes; and (8) caring for the elderly and promoting digital inclusion.

     In accordance with the overall strategies set by the Steering Committee on District Governance, the Task Force on District Governance, chaired by the Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Cheuk Wing-hing, will continue to co-ordinate bureaux and departments in taking forward the various district initiatives to raise people’s standard of living with concrete results and enhance their sense of achievement, satisfaction and security.

    

     The Social Welfare Department (SWD) today (January 21) released the report of the consultancy study on “Skill and Qualification Requirements of Residential Care Home (RCH) Staff providing Health and Rehabilitation Services in Hong Kong”.

     The SWD established a Steering Committee on Review of Manpower for Healthcare Services in RCHs in July 2023 to provide advice and steer on the holistic review of the skill and qualification requirements of RCH staff to build professional standards and a career progression path, thereby retaining talent and attracting new blood. The Committee was chaired by Dr Lam Ching-choi, and its membership comprised stakeholders from various sectors, including RCH operators/organisations, allied health professionals, trade union members and representatives of relevant policy bureaux/departments. Under the steer of the Committee, the Consultant commissioned by the SWD collected views from the stakeholders through RCH field observation and data analysis, questionnaire surveys, workshops, focus groups and individual interviews, and sought advice from relevant advisory bodies. Following the conclusion of the review at the end of 2024, the Consultant submitted the report of the consultancy study scrutinised by the Committee to the SWD. The SWD has accepted the report.

     According to the report of the consultancy study, there has been a growing demand for professional care services in the RCH sector due to an ageing population, rendering it essential to nurture professional health and care talent dedicated to the social welfare sector to sustain its steady development. The report puts forth four key recommendations: 

1. It is recommended to establish a new professional rank of “Health&Care Practitioner” (HCP) responsible for health and care procedures at the RCHs for the Elderly (RCHEs), the RCHs for Persons with Disabilities (RCHDs) and other elderly/rehabilitation welfare service units. The HCP, which covers care and health duties with due emphasis on practice, can both attract people who aspire to pursue a career in the social welfare sector and offer promotion and career prospects for Health Workers (HWs), which is conducive to talent retention. Additionally, this new rank would provide RCHs with greater flexibility in utilising their manpower resources, reduce competition for talent with the medical health sector and alleviate the tight manpower situation in RCHs.

     Based on the existing regulatory mechanism for HWs, the SWD is recommended to be in charge of such matters as the registration, assessment and complaint of the HCPs to ensure their professional competency and ensure that they would be put under effective regulation. The validity period of a registration or renewal of registration as an HCP would be not more than five years.

     At the initial stage of the establishment of the HCPs, it is recommended to invite serving registered HWs who have served in the position for not less than three years to undergo the training. To become an HCP, one must complete a recognised training course and attain a professional diploma. The diploma concerned is pitched at Qualifications Framework Level 4 with a total of 760 learning hours. Its entry qualification requirements would be identical to those of the Enrolled Nurse (General) Training Programme, and in respect of the required health and care work in the social welfare service units, the assessment standards of the HCP training course would also be the same as those of Enrolled Nurses. 

2. Adjustments are recommended to the training content of the Certificate in Progression Training for Care Workers (Certificate Training). At present, Care Workers (CWs) who have completed the local Form Three programme and worked as a CW in RCHEs or RCHDs for not less than three years are eligible to enrol in the Certificate Training, and only those who have successfully passed the assessment are eligible to enrol in the HW Training Programme. Since the work of HWs is mostly practical, it is proposed to reduce the number of learning hours in language subjects of the Certificate Training with a corresponding increase in those training hours on vocational-related knowledge, so that CWs who aspire to take up health care work in RCHs would be equipped with more practical operational experience and competencies.

3. Amendments to the Residential Care Homes (Elderly Persons) Regulation (Cap. 459A) and the Residential Care Homes (Persons with Disabilities) Regulation (Cap. 613A) are recommended to introduce the new HCP rank into the relevant Regulations without altering the existing statutory staffing requirements. This would allow RCHs to employ Enrolled Nurses or HCPs to meet the relevant statutory staffing requirements.

4. RCH operators are recommended to attract and retain staff through measures such as enhancing career development and promotion opportunities, applying information technology and gerontechnology, and encouraging RCH staff to undergo training.

     A spokesman for the SWD said that the Department agrees with the key findings and recommendations of the report of the consultancy study and will report to the Panel on Welfare Services of the Legislative Council in due course. The recommendations of the consultancy report will be implemented progressively with a view to nurturing specialised health and care professional talent dedicated to the social welfare sector.

     The full text and the executive summary of the report (Chinese only) have been uploaded to the SWD’s website www.swd.gov.hk/en/pubsvc/lr/lr_info/cons_study/. read more

     â€‹A sick 46-year-old male remand person in custody at Tung Tau Correctional Institution died in a public hospital today (January 21).
      
     The remand person in custody suffered from cancer. He required continuous medical care and follow-ups at the institution hospital and a public hospital. On December 26, 2024, he was sent to a public hospital for treatment due to physical discomfort. During hospitalisation, his condition deteriorated and he was certified dead at 11.47am today.
      
     The case has been reported to the Police. A death inquest will be held by the Coroner’s Court.
      
     The person in custody was remanded for the offence of trafficking in a dangerous drug in January 2024. read more