With the coming of the New Year and the Chinese New Year, your Union has encountered new events. For the first time, your Union was honoured to be invited to attend the following functions:-
1. The 54th Annual Charity Dental Ball held on 31st December 2007 ˇV 1st January 2008 organized by the Hong Kong Dental Association;
2. Soccer tournament organized by The Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Hong Kong on 6th January 2008 to celebrate her 20th Anniversary and her Annual Dinner on 22nd February 2008;
3. Annual dinner of Practising Pharmacists Association of Hong Kong held on 22nd January 2008 and to present awards during the event;
4. The 30th Anniversary Dinner of the Hong Kong College of Family Physicians on 12th January 2008;
5. First introduction session on Hospital Authorityˇ¦s Clinical Management System on 30th January 2008.
By attending the above named functions, I do wish that the Union could reach out more on her attempts in achieving our missions for the Profession.
We have been fighting hard against the Pharmacists to safeguard our dispensing rights for decades. Some would advise that we should refrain from getting into acquaintance with the Pharmacists and even the Pharmacistsˇ¦ Associations. Despite strong arguments between the two professionals, recently your Union attempted a different approach. We proactively reach out to understand the problems facing the Pharmacists from outside in and from upside down. To know their grievances and to solve their problems together in a wise manner and not forfeiting our legitimate rights. It is only through close collaboration that we can stamp down differences and cooperate for a brighter health care system in Hong Kong in the future. There should be no separation of medical consultation and dispensing BUT there would be separation of work by both professionals for the health of mankind.
On the occasion of the 30th Anniversary Dinner of the Hong Kong College of Family Physicians, Dr. York Chow gave me a surprise answer when I invited him joining our Princess Margaret Hospital Sunday Afternoon Symposium to talk on Health Care Reform. At first, I am not too optimistic on the launch of the proposed Health Care Reform by the Government in the coming few months. Reasons are:- (1) there is undue prolong postponement of a scheduled meeting of the Primary Care Working Group of the Health and Medical Development Advisory Committee of the Bureau since November last year; and (2) recently there are rumors from members of the Executive Council that there are still many problems to be solved before the actual plan for Reform can be promulgated. Out of the blue, Dr. Chow promised to talk to us on 20th April, 2008 if the Chief Executive agreed to release the details of the reform before April. It seems that the chance of Dr. Chowˇ¦s coming to our Symposium is great from his expression in the 30th Anniversary Dinner of the Hong Kong College of Family Physicians. However, I am still skeptical on the details of the Reform and am afraid that the profession and the citizens would be facing numerous options delivered by the Government paid Public Relations firm during the promulgation. Then we might have to go back to square one again as before. Anyhow, we shall see.
The lending hands for collaboration and cooperation from the Presidents of the Hong Kong Dental Association and the Hong Kong College of Family Physicians on 1st January and 12th Jauuary 2008 respectively were very much welcome and treasured by this Union. We shall venture on future collaboration in whatever ways in order to achieve win-win-win situation for members of the three medical and dental bodies. For your information, your President is invited to meet and discuss issues of mutual interests with the Hong Kong Public Doctors Association in March this year and I think we should welcome all these good gestures from our brother and sister medical and dental bodies.
The first of its kind scheduled introduction of Hospital Authorityˇ¦s Clinical Management System on 30th January 2008 for interested medical bodies including your Union would pace a great step forward for linkage between the public CMS and our budding HKDU CMS. There will be information and technical exchange between the parties for one common goal ˇV to bring the Health Care Records of every citizen into a one and only one Electronic Platform for continuous and seamless health care of the community.
Last but not least, I have to thank one of our Union members for pointing out an error in my last message. Shenzhen is not a special administrative region of
Wishing you all a Happy Chinese New Year of the Rat!
Dr. Yeung Chiu Fat Henry