Secretary for Health concludes visit to Fujian (with photos)
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Professor Lo led a delegation to commence the visit programme upon arrival at Fuzhou yesterday (June 4) and met the Secretary of the Communist Party of China and Director-General of the Fujian Provincial Health Commission, Mr Yang Minhong, in the afternoon. Professor Lo highlighted the latest developments of various healthcare policies in Hong Kong, including deepening reform of the healthcare system and advancing primary healthcare development. The two sides also had in-depth exchanges on topics including cross-boundary medical collaboration, enhancing Chinese medicine medical services of the two places, and leveraging Hong Kong's strengths as an international health and medical innovation hub. Professor Lo said, "The exchanges enabled both sides to deepen their understanding of the current healthcare developments in the two places, laying the foundation for future healthcare collaboration between Hong Kong and Fujian."
Professor Lo and his delegation also visited local pharmaceutical institutions in Fuzhou. He arrived in Xiamen this afternoon and visited the Xiamen Bio Bay and a biomedical institution. During meetings with the senior management of biomedical institutions in Fuzhou and Xiamen, Professor Lo highlighted the measures put forward by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government to develop Hong Kong into an international health and medical innovation hub, enhance the drug approval and registration mechanism, and foster clinical trial development, including the implementation of the "1+" drug approval mechanism, the introduction of "primary evaluation" for new drugs, the establishment of the Greater Bay Area International Clinical Trial Institute and its Real-world Study and Application Centre, as well as the upcoming establishment of the Hong Kong Centre for Medical Products Regulation within this year.
Professor Lo said, "Hong Kong actively aligns with the directions set out in the National 15th Five-Year Plan by setting out the targets of supporting the accelerated biopharmaceutical development and improving the evaluation and approval mechanism of innovative drugs, while proactively developing into a 'green lane' for innovative drugs connecting the Chinese Mainland and the world. Hong Kong is capable of providing comprehensive support for innovative drugs, spanning clinical trials, regulation and approval, to inclusion in the public healthcare system. We cordially invite innovative pharmaceutical enterprises interested in expanding into the Hong Kong and Greater Bay Area markets to actively explore opportunities for conducting scientific research activities and undertaking drug approval and registration in Hong Kong."
While in Fuzhou, Quanzhou and Xiamen, the delegation also visited Huashan Hospital Fujian Campus, Fudan University; Jinjiang Municipal Hospital; and Zhongshan Hospital Xiamen University respectively to gain a first-hand understanding of the overall operations of local hospitals, including the primary healthcare and chronic disease management systems, Chinese medicine services, as well as outpatient and accident and emergency service workflows.
Delegation members accompanying Professor Lo on the visit include Deputy Secretary for Health Mr Edward Mak; the Senior Advisor (Secretary for Health's Office), Dr Joe Fan; as well as officials of the Health Bureau, the Department of Health and the Hospital Authority. They will return to Hong Kong tonight.
Ends/Friday, June 5, 2026
Issued at HKT 17:52
Issued at HKT 17:52
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