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The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:
Over 90 distinguished Mainland, overseas and local speakers will share their knowledge and insights and interact on various health topics of interest with over 4,000 healthcare and academic professionals at the two-day annual Hospital Authority (HA) Convention 2014, held today and tomorrow (May 7 and 8).
The HA Convention 2014 aims to promote the sharing of knowledge and experience on clinical advances and approaches to modern healthcare service. It will also facilitate exploration and discussion of contemporary concepts among healthcare professionals and stakeholders.
The HA Convention 2014 was officially opened this morning by the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mrs Carrie Lam; the Vice Minister of National Health and Family Planning Commission, Mr Sun Zhigang; the Secretary for Food and Health, Dr Ko Wing-man; the HA Chairman, Professor John Leong; and the HA Chief Executive, Dr Leung Pak-yin.
In his welcoming address, Professor Leong said that the Convention has been a flagship event in the HA calendar. He was particularly gratified by the proactive and passionate response of HA employees, who have set new records this year in terms of both the number of attendees and number of abstracts submitted.
Professor Leong highlighted that according to a 2013 international survey covering 48 countries and cities, Hong Kong's public health service outpaced those in many advanced economies and topped the list with respect to efficiency scores for life expectancy and health costs per capita.
He pointed out that amid the significant challenges of long waiting times, escalating patient demands, re-emergence of the H7N9 threat and a widespread winter influenza wave, HA colleagues had stepped up to the challenge without hesitation or complaint. He also expressed his gratitude to the Hong Kong Government for its continued strong support in terms of policy and funding allocation.
"As the growing complexity of illness, the escalating incidence of chronic diseases, and a rising number of elderly patients combine to place increasing demands on our resources, we must redouble our efforts to maintain a high quality standard of service.
"To this end, we need to ensure we remain up-to-date with the latest medical knowledge and clinical practices as well as continue to explore opportunities for regional and international collaboration." Professor Leong said he envisaged that the HA Convention 2014 would offer an excellent forum for Hong Kong's healthcare professionals to compare notes and connect with local and overseas peers.
Delivering his keynote speech, "Creating a Systemic Vision for Future Healthcare", Dr Leung began with a note of thanks for the strong support of the Government and the continual increase in financial provision for 2014/15, as well as the unprecedented one-off grant of HK$13 billion to help fund intensive improvement programmes of HA facilities over the next 10 years or so.
"However, we are also fully conscious that resources are not unlimited, particularly in consideration of the daunting healthcare challenges that we will face in the future," he said.
He pointed out that by 2041 Hong Kong's population is expected to have grown by 1.3 million to 8.5 million, with the percentage of over-65s rising from 13 per cent to 30 per cent during the same period. The average life expectancy was also forecast to rise from 80 to 84 years for men and from 86 to 90 years for women.
"In terms of the general bed utilisation rate in Hong Kong, the requirement for those aged 65 and above is about nine times that of those below 65. For those aged 85 and above, it is almost 20 times that of under-65s," said Dr Leung.
Dr Leung said that our current model of care was clearly not sustainable if we were to successfully handle the long-term shifts in healthcare demand.
"Based on current projections, our 2041/42 recurrent financial resource requirement will be an estimated HK$169 billion – 3.8 times more than in 2013/14. Some 18 000 new beds, 6 200 extra doctors, 24 000 more nurses and 7 700 new allied health professionals are among the more important of the many additional resources that will be necessary to maintain a level of service that is comparable with that of today," he said.
In the search for sustainable solutions, Dr Leung remarked that technology had enhanced clinical workflow and efficiency, treatment effectiveness and patient comfort. But he cautioned that while the many benefits of technology were undeniable, we should not and could not allow its acquisition to become our primary goal. "We must be smart and strategic in adopting new innovations to ensure that they serve our aims rather than drive them," he said.
He went on to say that a purely technological approach to improving health created the risk of focusing solely on what was possible at the expense of what was practical and what best promoted respect for dignity of life.
Dr Leung also stressed the importance of holistic care beyond treating diseases. "We must look beyond traditional models of 'sick-care' management. We should focus on treating individual patients and their unique healthcare needs and concerns rather than on treating individual diseases."
He further advocated the adoption of an integrated approach to provide total patient care, saying that true "total patient care" had to use a collaborative, multi-disciplinary approach to determine what was best for each individual patient and their particular circumstances rather than simply how best to treat any illness or disease.
In his concluding remarks, Dr Leung said the HA was deeply fortunate to have an outstanding team of dedicated and value-driven professionals. He trusted that with the hard work and skills of staff and the backing and belief of all its stakeholders, the HA could surely continue with its tireless efforts to enhance the lifelong health and well-being of the people of Hong Kong.
Ends/Wednesday, May 7, 2014
Issued at HKT 14:26
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