************************************************************
The Food and Health Bureau (FHB) today (January 15) gazetted its invitation for expression of interest (EOI) from non-profit-making organisations which are interested in developing and operating a Chinese medicine hospital at a reserved site in Tseung Kwan O. The deadline for submitting EOI is May 16, 2016.
The Chief Executive announced in the 2014 Policy Address that the Government has reserved a site in Pak Shing Kok, Tseung Kwan O, to develop a Chinese medicine hospital.
The Secretary for Food and Health, Dr Ko Wing-man, said today that promoting the development of Chinese medicine in Hong Kong is one of the working priorities of the current-term Government. It is the first time for the Government to launch a project to develop a Chinese medicine hospital which can provide Chinese medicine in-patient services. Both the industry and the Government have high expectations of this project, which is a key milestone in the development of Chinese medicine.
"Chinese medicine in-patient services are novel in Hong Kong. The Government and the Chinese Medicine Development Committee (CMDC) have been discussing and studying the modus operandi and the positioning of the Chinese medicine hospital. Taking into account the unique healthcare system and the prevailing regulatory framework in Hong Kong, the Government agrees with the CMDC's recommendation that the Chinese medicine hospital should be operated by a non-profit-making organisation on a self-financing basis, providing Chinese medicine and integrated Chinese-Western medicine (ICWM) services, with Chinese medicine having the predominant role," he said.
He added that apart from providing in-patient and out-patient services to the public, the Chinese medicine hospital should also support the teaching, clinical training and scientific research of Chinese medicine in higher education institutions in Hong Kong, including the Schools of Chinese Medicine of the three universities, so as to strengthen and enhance the quality of the professional training of Chinese medicine practitioners and the scientific research of Chinese medicine in Hong Kong.
To gather experiences on Chinese medicine in-patient services and ICWM services, which shall form the basis for reference in formulating the modus operandi of the Chinese medicine hospital, the Hospital Authority launched the ICWM pilot project in two phases starting in September 2014. The second phase of the pilot project was rolled out in December 2015.
Before launching an open tender, the Government is now inviting interested non-profit-making organisations to submit EOI covering various areas, including the management structure, manpower arrangement, financing model, implementation time frame, services and facilities of the Chinese medicine hospital, with a view to gauging the concerns and views of the market on the Chinese medicine hospital.
The EOI exercise is not a prequalification exercise to shortlist or pre-qualify the respondents for any future exercise(s) to dispose of the site. Hence, organisations which do not submit EOI will not be barred from taking part in any subsequent exercise(s) to dispose of the site for the development of a Chinese medicine hospital. Concepts and suggestions received during the EOI exercise may be used by the Government to determine, for the purpose of developing the Chinese medicine hospital, the land disposal arrangement for the site and the development model.
Interested non-profit-making organisations should submit to the FHB the EOI in Chinese or English or both in accordance with the instructions given in the EOI document before 5pm (Hong Kong time) on May 16, 2016, by any of the following means:
* By hand or by post:
Attn: Miss Fiona Chau
Principal Assistant Secretary (Health) 1
Food and Health Bureau
19/F, East Wing
Central Government Offices,
2 Tim Mei Avenue
Tamar, Hong Kong
* By email: EOIsubmission@fhb.gov.hk
Details of the EOI requirements and relevant information are available at the FHB's website (www.fhb.gov.hk/en/eoi). For enquiries, please email to EOIenquiry@fhb.gov.hk.
Ends/Friday, January 15, 2016
Issued at HKT 12:42
NNNN
