The Government announced today (July 2) the following appointments:
 
 (1) Dr Cecilia Fan Yuen-man has been appointed as the Under Secretary for Health and will assume office on July 14, 2025;
 (2) Dr Libby Lee Ha-yun has been appointed as the Chief Executive of the Hospital Authority (HA) with effect from August 1, 2025, for a term of three years; and
 (3) Mr Henry Fan Hung-ling, the incumbent Chairman of the HA, has been reappointed for a term of one year with effect from December 1, 2025.
 
     The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, has appointed Dr Cecilia Fan as the Under Secretary for Health to succeed Dr Libby Lee.  Dr Lee has tendered her resignation and will leave her post on July 14, and Dr Fan will assume the post of Under Secretary for Health on the same day.
 
     The HA Board commenced open recruitment of its Chief Executive this January to succeed Dr Tony Ko, who will not seek reappointment upon completion of his contract at the end of July this year. The Selection Board was led by the HA Chairman and, after a global recruitment process and prudent consideration, recommended the appointment of Dr Lee as the Chief Executive of the HA. The appointment has been endorsed by the HA Board and approved by the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR).
 
     Dr Lee will join the HA to assume the post of Chief Executive on August 1. Advice from the Advisory Committee on Post-office Employment for Former Chief Executives and Politically Appointed Officials has been sought on the appointment.
 
     The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, welcomed the newly appointed Under Secretary for Health, Dr Fan, to the Health Bureau, and looked forward to jointly promoting healthcare reform and innovation in the HKSAR as well as improving and protecting public health with her. "Dr Fan has extensive experience in public health management, and participated in the co-ordination of anti-epidemic and disaster relief efforts on multiple occasions, receiving commendations from the Chief Executive and the National Health Commission and demonstrating the leadership and adaptability skills necessary to promote reform," he said.
 
     Professor Lo also thanked Dr Lee, who will soon leave the post of the Under Secretary for Health and take up the post of the Chief Executive of the HA, and said, "Dr Lee joined the HA after graduation from medical school and had long been serving in the public healthcare system until she took up the post of the Under Secretary in 2022. Dr Lee has served as the Under Secretary for almost three years and has showcased her excellent leadership, presentation and interpersonal skills. She also has a thorough understanding of the challenges faced by the healthcare system and the strategies on a macro level and will surely lead, in her new capacity, the HA to drive reform and innovation, enhancing public healthcare services.
 
     "As the cornerstone of the healthcare system, the governance of the HA is the most important part of the deepening of the healthcare system reform. I am thankful to Mr Fan for continuing to serve as the Chairman and supporting the reform pursued by the Government. I trust that the HA, under the leadership of Mr Fan and Dr Lee, will further take forward the relevant work in the future to ensure that the public healthcare system will provide the public with healthcare services of higher quality, safety and effectiveness.
 
     "I would also like to take this opportunity to express once again my appreciation for Dr Ko, who most earnestly made significant contributions to the development of the public healthcare system over the years. I wish him all the best in his future endeavours."
 
     Following are the biographical notes on the appointed Under Secretary for Health and Chief Executive of the HA:
 
Dr Cecilia Fan Yuen-man
－－－－－
     Aged 57, Dr Cecilia Fan is currently Consultant Family Medicine (Elderly Health Service) of the Department of Health (DH).
 
     Dr Fan joined the DH in 1992 and has served therein for over 30 years.  Apart from family medicine and elderly health services, she co-ordinated and participated in work in various areas, including the Professional Development and Quality Assurance Service. She also took part in co-ordination work at medical posts of quarantine centres during multiple epidemics, including outbreaks of the severe acute respiratory syndrome in 2003, human swine influenza in 2009, and COVID-19during 2020-2022. In February 2023, Dr Fan led the DH's medical team to join the HKSAR search and rescue team in frontline search and rescue work at the quake-stricken areas in Türkiye. She was the only person from the SAR who received the National Outstanding Individuals in the Foreign Medical Aid commendation by the National Health Commission.
 
     Dr Fan holds a medical degree from the University of Hong Kong and a master's degree in public health from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, as well as a number of professional qualifications. She is trained as a family physician.

Dr Libby Lee Ha-yun
－－－－－
     Aged 53, Dr Libby Lee has been the Under Secretary for Health since July 2022.
 
     Dr Lee joined the executive team of the HA in 2008 and was promoted to Director of Strategy and Planning in 2016.  During her tenure as the Director of Strategy and Planning, she oversaw the formulation of strategies and operational plans, the co-ordination of community and primary care services, and the planning and implementation of capital works projects in relation to the HA's provision of healthcare services. Her duties at that post also included conducting studies and analyses in relation to demographic changes and challenges faced by the HA and projecting corresponding resource requirements. Dr Lee has served on various professional bodies including as Council Member for the Hong Kong College of Anaesthesiologists and the Hong Kong College of Community Medicine.
 
     Dr Lee holds a medical degree and a master's degree in public health from the University of Hong Kong as well as a number of professional qualifications. She is trained as an anaesthesiologist and a practitioner in administrative medicine.

Ends/Wednesday, July 2, 2025
Issued at HKT 16:08

NNNN