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Following is the speech (English only) by the Acting Chief Executive, Mr Donald Tsang, at the Designation Ceremony for the Safe Communities in Hong Kong today (March 18):
Dr Krug, Professor Svanstrom, Dr Ng, Mr Lau, Mr Chow, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
Hong Kong is honoured to host these two important events, the Safety and Health Expo 2003 and the 12th International Conference on Safe Communities. I want to extend a warm welcome to our visitors from around the world. I wish all of you a very rewarding, pleasant and memorable stay in Hong Kong, Asia's world city.
Tonight is a significant occasion, especially for residents of Tuen Mun and Kwai Tsing. In a few moments, we shall witness the World Health Organisation confer the status of 'Designated Safe Community' on these two districts. They are the first communities in China to be so designated. Congratulations to their respective District Councils for taking the lead in implementing the Safe Community Programme. My thanks also go to the various district organisations and government bodies involved. I also commend the Occupational Safety and Health Council. As an Affiliate Safe Community Support Centre of the World Health Organisation, the Council has been actively promoting the 'safe community' concept to local communities and helping them translate the concept into reality.
Hong Kong thrives on our enterprising, hardworking and resilient workforce. People are our most valuable asset. Yet, every year, tens of thousands of people are injured at work, on the road, at leisure, or at home. Some even lose their lives. We must do everything we can to minimise these avoidable tragedies.
Our Government is firmly committed to raising the standards of occupational safety and health in Hong Kong. Thanks to the concerted efforts of employer associations, employee unions, professional bodies and Government departments, we have achieved a significant improvement in workplace health and safety in the past 10 years.
Having said that, we are not complacent. We must remain constantly vigilant. So, we are pressing ahead with improvements in safety legislation. We are pushing forward with the introduction of trade tests and the registration of construction workers. And we are actively promoting workplace safety and health. In each of these initiatives, we are working closely with all the key stakeholders.
People long for safety and health at all times, in all places. Safety and health is an issue not only at work, but at home, at school and during leisure activities. So, we share with the World Health Organisation the very basic premise underpinning its Safe Community Programme. The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is dedicated to building Hong Kong into a safer and healthier place for people to live, to learn, to work, to visit and to enjoy their lives.
This has been brought into focus over the past week with the emergence of a serious respiratory infection contracted by a number of our health care workers in Hong Kong. Our health authorities have been working extremely closely with the World Health Organisation to monitor the spread of the infection, to establish exactly what is causing the infection, and to keep the public informed of the latest developments.
Hong Kong has an effective and extensive disease surveillance system in place. This allows us to identify quickly any unusual upsurge in illnesses, in this case respiratory illness. Our figures have shown that the number of pneumonia cases over the past two months has remained stable. What is unusual with this latest infection is that it has mainly affected health care workers and close family members of those infected.
In the light of recent developments, we have stepped up preventive and control measures at hospitals. A special steering group headed by our Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food will facilitate and enhance the flow of information and co-ordinate preventive measures for all sectors of the community. In addition, an expert group has been formed to investigate the spread and cause of the infection. As a member of the WHO Western Pacific region, Hong Kong remains determined and committed to protecting the health of our community.
Finally, I would like to wish the Safety and Health Expo 2003 and the 12th International Conference on Safe Communities every success. We treasure this opportunity to share the wisdom, knowledge and experience of so many experts gathered together from the four corners of the globe.
Thank you very much.
End/Tuesday, March 18, 2003
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