In 92 years of service, the Hospital has grown with the people of Hong Kong. The Hospital has been providing high quality and affordable traditional Chinese medicine service, Western hospital service, education, and social services to all walks of life in Hong Kong. Resulting from hard work of the past Boards of Directors, Permanent Advisers and the leadership of past Chairman Mr. WONG Fan Foung, the Hospital has made great progress, and has laid a solid foundation for further development. The Hospital now has 69 service units, providing a wide spectrum of services to residents in each of the districts of Hong Kong, Kowloon, and the New Territories, including outlaying islands. Our services, as a whole, benefit five hundred thousand beneficiary attendances a year. I am deeply honoured to have been elected as the Chairman, and wish to express my sincere appreciation to all of you for your support and trust. My fellow Board members and I will upkeep in the motto “We Love, We Care, We Serve”. The Board will endeavour to continue existing services, including traditional Chinese medicine service, Western hosptial service, education, elderly service. On the other hand, we will work hard to launch new services, including “Dreams Come True for the Elderly”, dental service for the elderly, and youth services. I will work hand in hand with the Board of Directors to move the Hospital forward, in a spirit of pragmatism and perseverance, to enhance the philanthropy. Hospital Service The redevelopment works of Pok Oi Hospital have completed, and the number of hospital beds has been increased to 460. The additional beds will enable the hospital to meet the needs of residents in the New Territories West, particularly residents in Yuen Long and Tin Shui Wai. More new wards and operating theatres will be added this year. The hospital will optimize the Medical Information System and extend the “Wi-Fi” broadband network to Ambulatory Services Centre to improve operational efficiency. The hospital will continue to enhance medical service, in a spirit of “Dedicating Medical Care to Citizens”. To enhance the sense of belonging and upgrade the professional knowledge for doctors working in Pok Oi Hospital, the Hospital has allocated funding to sponsor doctors to undergo overseas training. Moreover, overseas medical experts will be invited to Hong Kong to deliver lectures and exchange views and experience. In addition, in an effort to boost staff moral, the Board will increase funding allocation support for staff recreation activities and for volunteer service. Further, in view of unemployment of young people in Yuen Long and Tin Shui Wai areas while there is a on-going shortage of nursing staff, the Board will allocate funds to provide transport allowance to attract and encourage young people in Yuen Long and Tin Shui Wai to choose a nursing career by enrolling the School of General Nursing in Tuen Mun Hospital. Moreover, the Hospital will continue to allocate funding support for “Rehab facilities support pool for New Territories West Cluster”. The objective is to help patients in Pok Oi Hospital and Tuen Mun Hospital to solve the immediate needs for medical supplementary apparatus and support facilities. This is done by providing or lending rehab equipment to discharged patients with chronic illness. This will enable them to be discharged without anxiety and receive appropriate rehab care and support at home. Chinese Medicine Service The Hospital has been focusing on traditional Chinese medicine service in recent years, having over 300,000 beneficiary attendances annually. Recently, a large number of citizens wish to keep in good health by way of Chinese medicine. To meet this new demand, the Hospital is collaborating with the Chinese University of Hong Kong to set up a specialist Chinese medicine clinic to provide high-end specialists and acupuncture services. The new clinic will engage professor grade Chinese medicine practitioners and experienced practitioners to conduct consultations and deliver healthcare service using Chinese medicine methods. Since April last year, the Hospital and the Department of Health jointly launched a free of charge pilot project on smoking cessation using traditional Chinese medicine. Professional teams, comprising Chinese medicine practitioner, nurse and social worker, were formed for the new service. Through the service network of 10 Chinese Medicine Mobile Clinics and the Community Health Care Centre of the Hospital, over 1,200 smokers volunteered to join smoking cessation by way of acupuncture. In the light of the successful results, the Hospital and the Department of Health will allocate more resources into the project. The number of Chinese Medicine Mobile Clinics involved for the project will be increased from 10 to 18, which will provide 90 service points all over Hong Kong, Kowloon and the New Territories. The number of patients will be increased to 2,000 and the waiting time for treatment will be shortened. More community publicity and professional counselling will be carried out so as to strengthen the message and education of harmful effects caused by smoking. Education Service The Education Bureau is launching a “Voluntary Optimisation of Class Structure Scheme” in secondary schools. This scheme aims at providing a stable study environment at schools and to facilitate sustained development in secondary education, which helps the smooth implementation of the new secondary education system. All secondary schools of the Hospital will join and respond positively to this new scheme. This will not only enhance the quality of teaching, but will also align with the new secondary education system in providing a more diversified curriculum for students. This will also help the steady development of the schools. Further, primary and secondary schools of the Hospital will implement a “Healthy School” scheme to foster a caring environment for students. This project will instil them with a healthy lifestyle, helping and guiding physical and psychological development of students. A healthy lifestyle will keep them away from unhealthy habits such as drug taking, smoking and alcohol consumption. Kindergartens of the Hospital provide a harmonious and happy study environment for the children to nurture them into a new generation with confidence, independence, self-learning, self-discipline, and courage to assume responsibilities. To enhance the quality of education, teachers, students and parents of kindergartens are encouraged to act as a “learning- organisation”. They are encouraged to make judicious use of resources available from the community (such as the Quality Education Fund, Environment and Conservation Fund) to enhance their learning experience. This valuable and practical experience will help build up their enthusiasm and proactive attitudes toward education. Moreover, the Hospital is planning to set up an “Assessment System on Pupil’s learning” to monitor the effectiveness of curriculum planning. The assessment system aims at enhancing the quality of pre-school education. Social Service Hong Kong population is increasingly ageing. The Hospital will strengthen the service on elderly this year. Our elderly have made valuable contribution to the society, and we have to show gratitude to their selfless devotion. The Hospital will launch “Dreams Come True for the Elderly” scheme, fulfilling the wishes of elders who are suffering from chronic illnesses, living alone, or deprived in need of help. The scheme will help to make their dreams come true as a gesture of thanks to give joy and satisfaction to them. The scheme also aims at encouraging young people to treasure their relations with family members and elder members of the family, and extend their love and care towards deprived elders in the community. This will help attain the goal of building up a caring and inclusive society amongst different generations. As Hong Kong is ageing, the elders have a pressing need for dental service. The Hospital has successfully secured a tender for service invited by the Food and Health Bureau on a “Pilot project on outreach primary dental care services for elderly in residential care homes and day care centres” for a period of three years. The Hospital will set up two outreach dental teams servicing all elders in Yuen Long, who are residing at elderly homes or attending elderly day care centres. In case these elders have to be referred to dental clinic for complicated dental treatment, the Hospital has set up a special fund titled “Pok Oi Hospital Dental Service Support Fund” to provide them with allowance so that they can receive proper dental treatment. Moreover, the Hospital will also set up another outreach dental team to service elders in the Tsuen Wan and Kwai Tsing areas. The team will provide primary dental service to at least 2,000 elders annually, who are residing at elderly homes or attending elderly day care centres in the two areas. To enhance positive energy of young people and nurture them with positive values toward life, the Hospital will extend and develop new services for them. The Hospital is actively planning to build an “Extreme Sports Park” adjacent to Yuen Long Park for youth of Yuen Long and Tin Shui Wai. The park will provide them with facilities for creative extreme sports (including skate-boarding, BMX Cycling and roller skating). An extreme sports shop will be set up in the form of a social enterprise. The park will provide relieve for a shortage of recreational facilities for youth, and help solve the problem of unemployment, school dropouts, and drug taking amongst youth. To foster the growth and development of young people, the Hospital is setting up a “Pok Oi Hospital Teenagers’ Digital and Sports and Arts Activity Centre” in Tin Heng Estate of Tin Shui Wai. The centre will make use of extreme sports and cycling as a platform for service. A purpose-built indoor extreme sports training ground will be provided. Besides, the centre will set up a life education resources centre. Through promoting life education and organising career-based arts and training activities, participants can learn vocational skills and strengthen resistant on undesirable influences. These activity-based training courses with mentor will help youngster steer away from drug and undesirable habits. Moreover, “Pok Oi Teenagers Sports Training Project: Start off a Proper Life” will be an important project. Through sports training, exposure in the society as well as career and vocational courses, youngsters will be developed to live in a healthy and colourful lifestyle. “Pok Oi Hospital–Rotary Club of Hong Kong Sunrise Family Services Centre”, situated in the Community Centre of Tin Ching Estate of Tin Shui Wai, will be completed in April this year. The Hospital will collaborate closely with the Rotary Club of Hong Kong Sunrise to manage the new centre with special features and ensure that the services will meet the needs of the families in Tin Shui Wai. Moreover, the Hospital will make good use of the rooftop of the building to set up a social enterprise, aiming to provide training and vocational experience to youth and women in that area to help build their self-reliance and employment opportunity. Since 2009, the Hospital has organised “Cheering for Life – Schools and Youth Cheerleading Contest” for two consecutive years in Yuen Long, responding to the government appeal on Community Programme: Against Youth Drug Abuse. The cheerleading contest is most warmly received gaining applause from schools and community. The Hospital will continue to organise this extra-curricular competition in a larger scale, inviting schools and youth centres in Yuen Long and Tin Shui Wai to take part. The competition will infuse positive values to students and youngsters and help tacking drug abuse. Promotion and Fund-raising Activities Apart from provided needed services to the community, the Hospital is duty bound to promote a loving and caring culture. The Hospital will continue to organise traditional fundraising activities, such as Pok Oi Charity Gala. We will also expand regular event of “Pok Oi Month”, organising housing estate committees and neighbourhood associations to raise funds for the Hospital. We will bring in new elements so that residents from all 18 districts will participate for charity to help the deprived in the community. This fundraising event reflects a recognition that the social services of the Hospital have successfully extended to all 18 districts in Hong Kong, Kowloon and the New Territories. The Hospital will continue to organise the popular “POH Cycle-for-Millions” fundraising programme. We are planning to enlarge the scale to make it a city event. It is a good occasion to promote eco-healthy living, strengthen the awareness of safe cycling to the general public. The Hospital sincerely hopes that the event will attract more citizens and corporations to join this meaningful event so as to promote the spirit of Pok Oi Hospital for charity and caring the community. We will also organise a number of innovative fundraising activities this year, as a means to solicit sponsorship from large corporations and business organisations. Working through competition and sport events, we strive to promote energetic and environmental friendly lifestyle. We aim to attract all walks of life, youngsters in particular, join hands to take part in community and philanthropic activities, instilling the spirit of showing love and care for the needy. Long-term Development To ensure having a sustainable development, the Hospital has just appointed an independent consultant firm to have a comprehensive development review for the Hospital. The Hospital has also set up a Long Term Strategic Development Committee as an initiative to ensure we excel in governance, have development strategies that meet the needs of the community over the next five years. The development strategies will be in line with government policies and the services will be responding to the pressing needs of the community to help achieve an inclusion society. Conclusion The Hospital is deeply rooted in Yuen Long, and is closely associated with the local community. This year, we will strive to further strengthen the close cooperation with the Yuen Long District Office and the Yuen Long District Council. We will actively take part in various large-scale activities in Yuen Long, including the Yuen Long Youth Festival and Yuen Long Gated Village Cultural Festival. I deeply believe that all Members of the Board will use all their efforts in servicing the community with devotion of love and care, a spirit of Pok Oi Hospital. I earnestly look forward to having guidance and valuable advice from government departments and prominent members of the community. May I also appeal to members of our community to donate generously and enthusiastically support charitable activities of the Hospital, benefitting a wide spectrum of disadvantaged social groups. We will work together to advance the good cause of having a harmonious and inclusive society. Thank you very much!
Tong Sau Chai, Henry
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