Secretary for Health meets National Health Commission delegation (with photos)
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Professor Lo said, "After the COVID-19 epidemic, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and various Mainland provinces and cities have been engaging in closer and more frequent exchanges and co-operation on healthcare development than ever. Such exchanges and co-operation help promote regional healthcare development. We will continue to strive for the strengthening and deepening of co-operation with the Mainland under the principle of complementarity and mutual benefits, with a view to levelling up the quality and efficiency of the healthcare services in both places, while rallying concerted efforts to build a 'Healthy Hong Kong' for integration into the nation's strategy of a 'Healthy China', thereby contributing to the development of the Greater Bay Area and that of the country as a whole."
In the afternoon, Professor Lo and Mr Yu attended the closing ceremony of the Annual Training Programme on Tobacco Control 2023 organised by the Tobacco and Alcohol Control Office of the Department of Health (DH).
Addressing the closing ceremony, Professor Lo said, "The HKSAR Government is committed to progressively lowering the smoking prevalence from 9.5 per cent at present to 7.8 per cent by 2025. Having consulted citizens earlier on the tobacco control strategies for the next phase, the Government is now consolidating the views collected to derive a consensus on the future tobacco control strategies to be formulated. Our goal is to work with members of the public to build a more vibrant, healthier and tobacco-free society and stride as one towards the vision of a vibrant, healthy and tobacco-free Hong Kong, thereby safeguarding public health as well as rooting out the serious health and economic burden brought about by tobacco to society."
In April 2012, the DH was designated by the World Health Organization (WHO) to set up the Collaborating Centre for Smoking Cessation and Treatment of Tobacco Dependence in Hong Kong, to serve as a regional hub supporting smoking cessation training and providing assistance to other member states/regions within the Western Pacific Region. The Annual Training Programme on Tobacco Control, which is structured according to the tobacco control measures formulated by the WHO, enables participants to master tobacco control techniques and strategies in areas such as legislation, law enforcement, publicity and promotion, as well as the development of smoking cessation services and assessments to a further extent through overseas and local experts' sharing of their valuable experience in tobacco control work.
The Under Secretary for Health, Dr Libby Lee, and the Director of Health, Dr Ronald Lam, also attended the exchange activities today.
Ends/Thursday, December 7, 2023
Issued at HKT 17:20
Issued at HKT 17:20
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