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Following is the speech by the Permanent Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food (Health and Welfare), Ms Sandra Lee, at the opening ceremony of the International Conference and Exhibition of the Modernisation of Chinese Medicine and Health Products and Hong Kong International Medical and Health Care Fair 2006 today (August 17):
Dr Sun, Mr Wong, Mr Chan, Mr Yeung, Mr Kay, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
On behalf of the Hong Kong SAR Government, I extend a very warm welcome to you all. I would also like to thank the Hong Kong Trade Development Council and the Modernised Chinese Medicine International Association for inviting me to this conference and exhibition.
The Government recognises the important role of Chinese medicine in our healthcare system. Hong Kong is well placed in tapping the business potential for Chinese medicine given our expertise in marketing, trading, manufacturing, management, technology and standards setting. In the last few years, the Government has devoted much effort to facilitating the development of Chinese medicine in Hong Kong.
The Government's strategy is to develop a robust regulatory regime for Chinese medicine practitioners, traders and proprietary Chinese medicines, and to ensure a sufficient supply of practitioners through funding of relevant undergraduate courses. We believe that these elements are crucial to nurturing an enabling environment for the Chinese medicine industry to flourish.
At the same time, the Government is committed to promoting "evidence-based Chinese medicine" so that the data can be used for broader application. In this regard, we have set up six Chinese medicine clinics, and three more will be ready by the end of the year. We are planning more in future years. They are set up on a tripartite basis, between the Hospital Authority, NGOs and universities. One of the missions of these clinics is to participate in clinical research and assist in data collection. The Hospital Authority is also offering "evidence-based" clinical treatment using a combination of Chinese and Western Medicines in a few hospitals. Concurrently, our Department of Health is developing the Hong Kong Chinese Materia Medica Standards for 60 common herbal medicines. These standards will serve as a reference for the trade, benchmarks for quality and safety, and the basis for further research.
The Government's vision and direction for the development of Chinese medicine is clear. We will continue to strengthen the regulatory system and the infrastructure for this sector. Regulation is not meant to make things difficult for the trade. Rather it aims to protect public health and to set a common standard for the trade to follow. We hope that "registered in Hong Kong" will become a credible quality assurance for the Chinese medicine industry to develop their local and international markets. In a similar spirit, our intent of developing "evidence-based" Chinese medicine is to lay a solid foundation for the industry and academics to pursue further research and development.
I would also like to commend the private hospitals for their participation in the Fair to showcase the quality health and medical care services which Hong Kong offers. Together with the public sector, our private and public hospitals have earned for Hong Kong, an enviable reputation for high quality clinical standards and medical care.
The modernisation of Chinese medicine will not succeed without the active participation of the private sector. This event provides an important platform for this purpose. There will be ample opportunities for useful intellectual exchange and business collaborations. I am confident that you will have a lot to take home, be it insightful thoughts, valuable information or business opportunities. And I wish the conference success and all participants abundant health.
Thank you.
Ends/Thursday, August 17, 2006
Issued at HKT 16:39
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