***********************************************************
The 28th International Conference of the International Society for Quality in Health Care (ISQua), with the theme "Patient Safety: Sustaining the Global Momentum", was officially opened in Hong Kong today (September 15).
Some 2,000 delegates from a wide variety of backgrounds around the world including policymakers, regulators, accreditors, quality improvement leaders, innovators and researchers, health-care professionals and hospital managers are attending the Hong Kong conference.
The theme carries the notion that patient safety is a global initiative extending throughout the entire continuum of health care and is in line with the World Health Organization's call for global learning in health-care safety.
The prestigious conference is being staged for the first time in Asia. In addition to talks and presentations, there will also be workshops, site visits and a trade exhibition. It is jointly organised by ISQua and the Department of Health, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government. The opening ceremony today was officiated by the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Henry Tang, and attended by the Vice-Minister of Health of the People's Republic of China, Mr Ma Xiaowei, and the Secretary for Food and Health, Dr York Chow. The conference will run until September 17.
"We are pleased with the record attendance and the extraordinary support we have received in Hong Kong by the Department of Health, the Hospital Authority and the Hong Kong Government. We expect the health and safety knowledge we will be sharing among all the local and international delegates will enable all of us to continue improving health care for those we serve," the President of ISQua, Mr Philip Hassen, said.
The Director of Health, Dr P Y Lam, the conference co-chair, said the conference would provide a forum to share experiences on health-care safety and quality, and to interact with experts and leaders in the field.
"I am confident that the conference will bring about improved patient safety in Hong Kong," Dr Lam said.
ISQua is the world's leading independent, non-government organisation that works on quality practice and performance improvement across the entire continuum of health care worldwide.
ISQua has accredited many globally renowned health-care accreditation organisations including the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards, which is the accrediting agent for the Pilot Scheme on Hospital Accreditation in Hong Kong.
Ends/Thursday, September 15, 2011
Issued at HKT 14:13
NNNN
