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The Department of Health (DH) announced today (May 19), on the World Family Doctor Day designated by the World Organization of Family Doctors (WONCA), the results of the "Primary Care - Family Doctor as Your Health Partner" themed competition at an award presentation ceremony held in Tsuen Wan.
Organised by the DH together with the Education Bureau and the Hong Kong College of Family Physicians (HKCFP), the themed competition aimed to promote the family doctor concept and raise the awareness of the general public about the importance of primary care. The competition was met with an enthusiastic response, with over 800 entries from the public and students of some 30 secondary schools. These entries came in the form of photographs, videos, posters and slogans, etc, showcasing the importance of primary care.
Addressing the award presentation ceremony on World Family Doctor Day, the Permanent Secretary for Food and Health (Health), Mr Richard Yuen, said that the Government is committed to enhancing primary care as part of efforts to reform the health-care system.
"The Government has formulated the overall strategy for primary care development in Hong Kong and been taking forward initiatives to enhance primary care in three major areas through a step-by-step approach, including developing primary care conceptual models and reference frameworks for specific diseases and population groups, setting up a Primary Care Directory for health-care service providers from different disciplines, and drawing up feasible primary care service delivery models based on the community health centre conceptual model," Mr Yuen said.
Mr Yuen said that other initiatives launched by the Government to enhance primary care services and improve population health include the Elderly Health Care Voucher Pilot Scheme, the dental outreach pilot project for elderly people in residential care homes and day care centres, various vaccination subsidy schemes for children and the elderly, and various chronic disease management programmes implemented through the Hospital Authority.
"Primary care plays a pivotal role for individuals and families in the continuous health process. Good primary care performs an important gatekeeping role for our health by providing appropriate preventive care and treatment at early stages," he added.
Immediately after the ceremony, a forum entitled "My Family Doctor" was convened by the HKCFP at Citywalk, Tsuen Wan. The forum was officiated by the Regional President of WONCA Asia Pacific, Dr Donald Li, to promote the concept of the family doctor as health partner for life. An exhibition on primary care and family medicine is also being held at the same venue today and tomorrow.
For more information on primary care, members of the public are invited to visit the website of the Primary Care Office under the DH (www.pco.gov.hk).
Ends/Saturday, May 19, 2012
Issued at HKT 16:00
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