Message from the Chairman
Speech by Chairman Wong
Heading Towards the 100th Year
Enhancement and Innovation – Aspirations for Smooth Sailing
The Hon. Mr. T S Tsang, JP, the Hon. Dr York Y N Chow, GBS, JP, Mr. Paul K W Tang, JP, Honourable Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Today is the inauguration ceremony of the 61st Board of Directors of Pok Oi Hospital (“Hospital”). We are greatly honoured to have the Hon. Mr. T S Tsang, JP, Secretary for Home Affairs to administer the oath; the Hon. Dr York Y N Chow, GBS, JP, Secretary for Food and Health and Mr. Paul K W Tang, JP, Permanent Secretary for Labour and Welfare to officiate the ceremony. We are also honoured to see the presence of many senior government officials, social elites, and members of the media here. Floral baskets and donation in lieu of floral are received from friends of various circles. On behalf of the Board of Directors, I express my heartfelt gratitude to all of you for your hospitality and kindness.
Pok Oi has been in operation for over 90 years, offering diverse services to the residents of Hong Kong. We have grown together. The efforts of former Board Members and Permanent Advisors, together with the experience of predecessors, carry the Hospital forward. Last year under the guidance of Chairman Poon Shiu Man, Henry, the Hospital made a team effort to develop further in the charity sector. The Hospital now operates 55 service units covering Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories. We offer Chinese and western medicine services, education and social services to all walks of life. Over 400,000 beneficiaries are recorded each year.
I sincerely thank fellow Board Members for electing me as the Chairman of the 61st Board of Directors. I really realize the onerous responsibilities ahead. With 90 years of history, the Hospital has a solid foundation. To lead the Hospital into a new era, a long-term plan has to be in place and every opportunity has to be captured. In view of this, our theme this year is “Enhancement and Innovation”. While making every effort to consolidate existing services, we will enhance them and offer new service initiatives. In order to carry the Hospital forward, I will certainly do my best in a pragmatic manner. I will work with my fellow Board Members to lead the Hospital striving towards the 100th anniversary.
(A) Hospital Service
Service enhancement to meet the needs
The Hospital has completed the redevelopment and expansion works, increasing the number of beds to more than 410. As a district general hospital, it can be regarded as being well established. With an aim to accommodating residents in the New Territories West, the Hospital will have more wards and operating rooms for various kinds of patients. In addition, a wireless network developed for wards for access to medical information will be extended to Ambulatory Services Centre. The Hospital will closely monitor the demographic change and the needs of local residents. Its health-care service will be updated on a continuous basis, demonstrating the spirit of “we love, we care, we serve”.
(B) Chinese Medicine Service
Further development and enhancing quality
During the period from 2008 to 2010, I was elected as the Chairman of Chinese Medicine Service Committee by the Board of Directors for two consecutive years. I am very gratified to have gained warm support from Food and Health Bureau, Department of Health, Hospital Authority, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, friendly organizations as well as my colleagues in the Hospital. We have secured a foothold in the area of Chinese medicine and established a long-term development plan for our Chinese Medicine service.
1. Service users reach record high repeatedly
In response to the public demand, the Hospital has been expanding Chinese Medicine service in recent years. Currently there are two Clinical Centres for Teaching and Research, five Chinese Medicine Polyclinics and 10 Chinese Medicine Mobile Clinics. The number of service recipients increases every year. In 2009/2010, it reached over 260,000, way above the 50,000 recorded in 2004/2005. Of which, nearly 80,000 received a range of low-price but professional treatment for elderly patients or recipients of Comprehensive Social Security Assistance. This demonstrates that our Chinese Medicine service is widely recognized and trusted. We satisfy the demand of the under-privileged groups for Chinese Medicine service. The Hospital will endeavour to raise the number of service recipients to 300,000 this year.
2. Enhance professional medical service
The Clinical Centres for Teaching and Research in Chinese Medicine are a joint effort with The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Our Chinese Medicine clinics have appointed professional registered Chinese Medicine practitioners. With an aim to enhance the service quality, we would send selected practitioners to premium Chinese Medicine schools in Hong Kong and mainland China for advanced training. Training subsidies are provided. Our Chinese Medicine practitioners are also provided with on-the-job training such as specialist training and short courses. We would invite premium Chinese Medicine specialists and experts of acupuncture in the mainland to offer training in Hong Kong. We will also send our practitioners to the mainland Chinese Medicine schools for short-term academic exchange.
3. Enhance monitoring of Chinese herbal medicines – Chinese herb finger print accreditation and testing technology
Our Chinese Medicine service is widely trusted by the community. One of the major reasons is that we always pay attention to the quality of Chinese medicinal materials and the monitoring process. The Hospital plans to work with The Hong Kong Polytechnic University this year to monitor the quality of our Chinese medicinal materials, so that the patients are further protected and the treatment will be more effective. The Hospital and the Hong Kong Polytechnic University will join hands in Research and Development for accrediting and testing Chinese herbal medicine, and share the fruits of the research. Pok Oi, together with Hong Kong Polytechnic University, would sign a memoradum of understanding in the ceremony later today to officiate this innovative collaboration.
4. New electronic outpatient record system
In order to allow residents throughout the 18 districts of Hong Kong to receive treatment anytime at 48 locations of Chinese Medicine Mobile Clinics, the Hospital has developed electronic outpatient records. Such a system will make it more convenient for health-care providers to check or keep medical records and prescriptions of patients. The purchasing and inventory management of medicine will then be enhanced. All the mobile clinics can access and update medical records and patient information promptly and accurately. Our health-care service is enhanced and becomes more efficient.
Innovative and advance with the times
While continue to provide existing services, the Hospital strives to develop innovative Chinese Medicine service. To cope with the demand of society and to align with government policy, we will take the following initiatives:
1. Eight additional Chinese Medicine Mobile Clinics (a total of 18 mobile clinics)
Since their launch in early 2006, the Hospital’s Chinese Medicine Mobile Clinic service has developed quickly under the leadership of the Board of Directors and the support from local organizations. The service is warmly received by the general public. In view of this, the Hospital will continue to develop Chinese Medicine Mobile Clinic service. With the donation from a number of charities, we plan to increase the number of Chinese Medicine Mobile Clinics from 10 to 18 in 2010/2011. The users of our Chinese Medicine Mobile Clinics will then be increased by 80 per cent. Consequently, the waiting time for consultation will be greatly reduced to satisfy grass-roots demand.
Further, all our 10 mobile clinics are well-equipped and have the facilities to provide acupuncture treatments to patients to satisfy their needs, representing 80% of all mobile clinics of the same kind in Hong Kong.
2. Free smoking cessation programme using traditional Chinese medicine – a joint effort with Department of Health
The Hospital teamed up with the Department of Health to launch an unprecedented one-stop free smoking cessation programme in April this year. The Hospital’s 10 mobile clinics offer the free smoking cessation service at 48 locations. For the convenience of the working population, the service hours are extended to nine o’clock in the evening on Wednesdays and Saturdays. This smoking cessation programme initiated by the Hospital is implemented by a multi-disciplinary team. Registered Chinese Medicine practitioners and social workers provide smokers with one-stop professional evaluation. There is also a follow-up period of up to one year. The registered Chinese Medicine practitioners of the Hospital offer free-of-charge acupuncture treatment, which includes four times of counselling and 10 times of acupuncture therapy. Through both counselling and acupuncture, the success rate of smoking cessation is raised. Smokers are able to refrain from smoking.
3. Chinese Medicine and acupuncture therapy to cure sequelae of drug addiction
As the problem of drug addiction among youngsters is increasingly serious, the Hospital partnered with Enlighten Centre (ELCHK) in Tin Shui Wai to launch a three-month programme in April this year to help the youth get rid of drug addiction. Chinese medicine and acupuncture therapy are used to deal with the sequelae of drug addition. The programme will enable the youth to say no to drugs.
4. New Community Health Centre
With the support from the Board of Directors and the health-care sector, the Chinese Medicine clinics of the Hospital are widely recognized for their performance. In light of this, the Board of Directors plans to set up a Community Health Centre in Kwun Tong, an aging district with a dense population. The Centre incorporating Chinese Medicine treatment, dental care and supplementary medical service is a convenient one-stop shop for patients. The first Community Health Centre will go into operation in June this year. If this initiative receives encouraging response, such centres will be set up in other districts in Hong Kong.
(C) Education Service
Service enhancement and multi-exploration
“It takes 10 years to grow trees, but a hundred to rear people.” There is no easy way to educate a person. High-quality education is critical to the development of society. Cai Yuan-pei, a Chinese educator, mentioned before that educators should work for the future. Youngsters will form the future society. The Hospital strives to develop education service to build up a good society.
Due to Hong Kong’s policy of implementing general affairs education, the secondary, primary schools, kindergartens cum nurseries of the Hospital will host more visiting activities. Teachers and students are encouraged to reach out to the community. Through a series of activities related to daily life, students can broaden their horizons and improve their thinking ability. During the visits, they can look at Hong Kong and the world from a new perspective. The ability to think from different perspectives is nurtured at an early age.
Furthermore, the Hospital attaches importance to young children’s language development. Its kindergartens cum nurseries have hired full-time native speaking English teachers and Putonghua teachers. English-medium and Putonghua-medium teaching are fully carried out. In such an environment, young children listen more and speak more to acquire strong language skills which are helpful to their future education.
(D) Social Service
Social service is people-oriented. Meng Zi, a great thinker of ancient China, has a saying: “Honour the aged of other families as we honour our own. Care for the children of other families as we care for our own.” The Hospital respects the elderly and supports the younger generation. While continuing the existing service offerings, it takes the following new initiatives for the elderly and youngsters this year:
(I) Enhance elderly service and initiate innovative actions
1. New outreach Chinese Medicine service
Our Chinese Medicine Mobile Clinic service covers the entire territory of Hong Kong. The medical practitioners really reach out to the community to serve the weak and sick elderly individuals. Our Chinese Medicine Mobile Clinics have started to offer a new outreach service this year. They provide service at the Hospital’s elderly homes and district elderly centres. In addition to doctor’s general consultation, traditional and sophisticated Chinese medicine treatment such as acupuncture is delivered. The elderly can be relieved of insomnia and different types of aches. The elderly centres will also have more health-care service. If the response is encouraging, we will reach out to elderly homes and district elderly centres not run by the Hospital.
2. New outreach dental service
As many elderly people have difficulty moving around, this outreach service is intended to bring dentists to the Hospital’s elderly homes and district elderly centres. Centres will set up dental treatment beds for the aged to receive the outreach service. We would extend this service to other non-Pok Oi homes or elderly district centre if it receives favourable feedback.
3. New oral care centres
The elderly has great demand for dental service nowadays. However, it is really difficult for the grass-roots elders to afford expensive dental care. The Hospital plans to set up new oral care centres in October, providing residents and elderlies with low-price quality service to enhance their primary oral and dental health. The Hospital would extend to other parts of Hong Kong if the feedback is good.
(II) Support the youth with cultural and sports services
1. School cheerleading and Cycling Ambassadors Programmes
In order to help solve the problem of drug addiction among youngsters, the Hospital rendered great support to the government’s community programme against youth drug abuse. It will organize “Cheering for Life – School Cheerleading Contest” again for 500 students in Yuen Long and Tin Shui Wa, instilling in them a positive outlook on life as well as enthusiasm, health and vitality. Moreover, the Hospital collaborates with Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited again to organize “HSBC-Pok Oi Eco-Health Cycling Ambassadors Programme”. Under the programme, 1,000 students would become more aware of the importance of a healthy lifestyle. The student ambassadors promote cycling to others so as to help build Hong Kong into a green city.
2. Digital, Cultural and Sports Centre for the Youth
Yuen Long and Tin Shui Wai have the largest youth population in Hong Kong. In response to a dramatic increase in drug abuse among youngsters, the Hospital plans to pour more resources into Yuen Long and Tin Shui Wai. We want to encourage the youth to embark on a healthy life and prevent them from going on the wrong track. We will set up a Digital, Cultural and Sports Centre for the Youth at Tin Heng Estate in Tin Shui Wai this year.
The Centre will be committed to the healthy development of youngsters, as well as civic education for the prevention of drug abuse and youth crimes. A series of courses in sports and arts will be offered to meet the interests of the youth. It will be a centre for exchange and leisure activities. The centre will also provide life education to the students and youngsters through local schools. Civic education will be implemented to keep them away from drugs and crimes. The centre will provide those deprived of education or on the verge of drug addiction with social worker support, career counselling, sports training, training for employment, coaching and referral service. We aim at strengthening the youth’s ability to overcome adversity, helping them to grow healthily and play a positive role in the community. The Hospital would set up a digital and sports/art activity centre upon positive responses.
3. Diverse activities offering general affairs education
In order to let children from low-income families enjoy a meaningful summer vacation, the Hospital will host an event called “Love all children, Hug the world”. In collaboration with Hong Kong Disneyland, we will deliver a series of visiting activities that promote healthy living. By visiting the Disneyland, The Chinese University of Hong Kong and Hong Kong Observatory, the grass-roots children can broaden their horizons during the summer vacation. They can try thinking from different perspectives, and can learn from on-site observation and activities. Through “Love all children, Hug the world”, we also hope to raise community awareness of the grass-roots children, so that more resources will be made available to foster their development.
4. Lee Ho Siu Fong Memorial Nursery and Family Development Support Centre
The Butterfly Multiple Intelligences Centre located at Butterfly Bay, Tuen Mun will be enlarged and developed into a unique facility named Lee Ho Siu Fong Memorial Nursery and Family Development Support Centre. In addition to the existing services, there will be a computer room, a game room for children, and a room for art therapy to render diverse services.
Pre-school Playgroup courses available in the community charge a high tuition fee, which may not be affordable for low-income parents. With the intention to provide parents and children with more time for interactive learning, the Hospital takes the unprecedented step to launch an affordable pre-school playgroup course. Grass-roots families can have access to such educational service that will enhance the parent-child relationship. The Hospital would promote this service if it proves to be popular.
(E) Promotion and Fund-raising Activities
In regard to promotion and fund-raising, the Hospital hopes to enhance its brand awareness and further promote its image as a charity organization serving all Hong Kong residents. Apart from continuing to organize different regular events, all members of the Hospital will strive to strengthen communication with large corporations, business organizations and social elites of various sectors. We will solicit sponsorship for more large-scale creative fund-raising activities, especially sporting events. In addition to raising funds, such events can promote sports in the Hong Kong community. Pok Oi hopes to present an image of being young and energetic, with which we can empower all the young citizens to care for the community, show mercy and cultivate a positive outlook on life.
During the past year, “Pok Oi Month” successfully raised funds with full support from housing estates, district councils and the general public throughout Hong Kong. We believe that “Pok Oi Month” will continue secure tremendous support from the district councils and others this year to raise more funds for the well-being of more people. Over ten-thousands volunteers and supporters from all walks of life would render their valuable assistance for our fund raising activities not only for charity, but also fostering self-reliance and building a harmonious society.
(F) Looking Ahead
To pursue continuous development and even better services, the Hospital will appoint a consultant to formulate a long-term strategic plan. A Long-term Strategic Planning Committee will be established to review various issues, including the organization structure of the Board of Directors and the direction of service development for the organization; Chinese medicine service, dental care, education service, as well as the services for children and youngsters, women, the elderly and other services will all have to be considered. This is to facilitate the Hospital to develop services accommodating the needs of the community and the government policy in the next five to 10 years.
(G) Conclusion
All members of the Hospital will endeavour to enhance service quality with the target of “Enhancement and Innovation”. The Hospital now has 55 service units and the number of beneficiaries is over 400,000 every year. It is expected that the number of service units will increase to 66 and the number of beneficiaries is estimated to reach 500,000 this year. The Hospital will have more than 2,000 staff members, who are our most valuable asset. A series of training will be provided to them for their well-being, not only to enhance professional development of our social workers, teachers, nurses and other staff members, but also to relieve their work pressure and foster their work relationship so as to enhance their enthusiasm towards the service users.
Over the past 90 years, the Hospital has been serving the community in accordance with the motto “we love, we care, we serve”. I firmly believe that the new Board of Directors will lead the way for the Hospital to move forward. Being firm and persistent, the Board Members will inherit the past and usher in the future. Professor Charles Gao Kun said in his autobiography that “perseverance is the key to success”. All members of the Board will certainly work together with the Hospital’s dedication to serving the community. We will give first priority to the well-being of people. The Hospital hopes that various government departments, social elites and supporters will continue to render valuable assistance and make donations. With a prudent approach to fiscal management, the Hospital will use the donations wisely to benefit more people. I would like to take this occasion to extend my heartfelt gratitude to predecessors, Advisors, fellow Board Members and colleagues for their enthusiastic support in the coming year. Together, we will lead the Hospital to head for the 100th anniversary.
Finally, I thank all of you to come here despite a busy schedule. I wish you good health, happiness, and smooth sailing in your family and business life. Thank you!
WONG Fan Foung
Chairman of the 61st Board of Directors
|