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Following is the translation of the statement by the Chief Executive, Mr Tung Chee Hwa, on the resignation of the Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food, Dr E K Yeoh, at a media session held at the Central Government Offices tonight (July 7):

I would like to announce that the Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food, Dr E K Yeoh, tendered to me his resignation this morning, in accordance with the spirit of the Accountability System. After thorough consideration, I have accepted his resignation. However, public health is an important issue. It will take time for me to find his successor. Dr Yeoh has agreed to stay on for a period of not more than three months. I will identify his successor as soon as possible.

Dr Yeoh has, in the past, told me that he was willing to bear any responsibility in order to realise the spirit of the Accountability System and to ease the emotions of the affected citizens. However, I did not discuss the matter with him because it was during the most difficult and critical period of our battle against the epidemic. Even though SARS was brought under control in the middle of last year, we still had to deal with the work in the aftermath of the epidemic and we had to map out effective and rigorous measures to prevent the resurgence of the disease. The health and safety of our citizens are more important than anything else. I know that Dr Yeoh is very committed to Hong Kong. He has done his level best each and every day he has been in office.

When the epidemic was rapidly worsening during the initial stages of the outbreak, Dr Yeoh accepted my instructions to take part in the operations of the Hospital Authority and the Department of Health in person in order to address the deficiencies of the public health system as soon as possible. Dr Yeoh got the job done. With his courage, perseverance and expertise, he led the entire team of healthcare staff to bring the epidemic under control. I consider Dr Yeoh competent in his post. In fact, this is the view of international medical experts.

Dr Yeoh came under tremendous pressure from the public in the first half of this year. He insisted on discharging his responsibilities and working tirelessly to improve our public health system. Substantial progress was made and most of the recommendations of the SARS Expert Committee were implemented. We have successfully guarded against the attack of SARS and avian flu in the first half of this year. We have all witnessed these achievements.

I have carefully scrutinised the report of the Legislative Council Select Committee on SARS and read again the report of the SARS Expert Committee, which I appointed. The expert committee completed a comprehensive and professional review of how the Government and the Hospital Authority handled and controlled the epidemic. The 11 internationally renowned medical experts pointed out in their report that there clearly were significant shortcomings in the health system during the early stages of the outbreak when little was known about the disease and its cause, but overall, Hong Kong handled the epidemic well. In hindsight, there was much room for improvement in the health system. The expert committee has not deemed any individual to be culpable of negligence, lack of diligence or maladministration.

The Legislative Council Select Committee's report is a comprehensive one. Although the Government does not agree entirely with the select committee's analysis of individual events and comments on the performance and responsibility of officials, the facts and evidence set out in the report indicate that all the officials involved in the battle against the epidemic gave their best and worked tirelessly. Even though there are shortcomings, there is no evidence to suggest that any officials were derelict in their duties, negligent or lacked integrity in the battle against this new and unknown disease.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Dr Yeoh. We have worked together for several years. I believe that Dr Yeoh is enthusiastic towards his work, towards Hong Kong and towards the nation. He has a strong sense of duty and responsibility and is a reliable and competent colleague. No matter how immense the pressure and difficulty he has faced, he has served Hong Kong and its people wholeheartedly with his expertise, sincerity, integrity and selfless devotion. On behalf of the Special Administrative Region Government, I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to Dr Yeoh.

Just now I had a meeting with the Principal Officials. All of us feel sad at the departure of Dr Yeoh.

Earlier on, I communicated with the Central Authorities regarding Dr Yeoh's resignation. They agreed with me that the appointment and removal of the Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food should be dealt with when a successor was identified.

Finally, I would like to extend my deepest condolences to the bereaved and those affected by the disease.

Ends/Wednesday, July 7, 2004

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( Floor / Cantonese / Putonghua / English )