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The Secretary for Food and Health, Dr York Chow, continued his visit to London on May 18 (London time). Joined by the Permanent Secretary for Food and Health (Food), Mrs Marion Lai; and the Head of the Healthcare Planning and Development Office of the Food and Health Bureau, Mr Chris Sun, Dr Chow held a breakfast meeting with Sir Cyril Chantler, an overseas expert in the Hong Kong Steering Committee on Strategic Review on Healthcare Manpower Planning and Professional Development, to exchange views on healthcare manpower planning and professional development.
At the meeting, Dr Chow explained that the Hong Kong Government was conducting a strategic review on healthcare manpower planning and professional development, with a view to ensuring the healthy and sustainable development of Hong Kong's healthcare system. He thanked Sir Cyril for his valuable advice and views on how to cope with anticipated demand for healthcare manpower, strengthen professional training and facilitate professional development.
Dr Chow, Mrs Lai and Mr Sun then paid a visit to the British Medical Association (BMA). An independent institution, the BMA is a local doctors' association whose membership covers over two-thirds of doctors practising in the UK. The BMA seeks to protect the interests of medical professionals and to enhance the quality of healthcare. Dr Chow met with Professor Vivienne Nathanson, who is responsible for overseeing medical ethics, to exchange views on professional qualifications and ethics of medical practitioners, as well as international health matters.
Dr Chow said, "We are also looking into the regulatory framework of healthcare regulators. Such exchange enables us to learn from the BMA's relevant experiences."
In the afternoon, Dr Chow and Mr Sun met with the Director of Strategy of Monitor, Mr Adrian Masters. Monitor is an organisation responsible for monitoring fees charged by medical services providers under the UK's National Health Service (NHS).
They later visited the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and met with the Chief Executive, Ms Cynthia Bower, and the Policy Manager, Mr Paul Durham. The CQC, an independent regulator of health and adult social care services in England, administers a registration scheme under which providers of services such as hospital services, residential care, personal care and nursing care are required to meet essential quality and safety standards in order to qualify for registration and commence operation. The CQC conducts a regular review of service providers against the essential standards of quality and safety and disseminates the review results to service users to enable them to make an informed choice of service providers. The newly established Monitor works together with the CQC to handle licensing issues for service providers under NHS.
During the meeting, Dr Chow pointed out that Hong Kong is facing the problem of an aging population. The Hong Kong Government would take the opportunity to learn more and make reference to the operation and development of NHS and adult social care services, he said.
Dr Chow will leave London for Paris on May 19 to attend the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) meeting. That evening, he will meet members of the China delegation attending the OIE meeting, including the Vice Minister of Agriculture, Mr Gao Hongbin, and the Director General, Veterinary Bureau, Ministry of Agriculture, Mr Zhang Zhongqiu.
Ends/Saturday, May 19, 2012
Issued at HKT 14:58
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