President's Message
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THE HONG KONG ACADEMY OF MEDICINE NEWSLETTER www.hkam.org.hk President’s Message Summer & Autumn 2018 Dear Fellows and colleagues, IN It is the fourth quarter of the year and our big day is just around the corner. Before I share with you the Academy’s work over the past few months, let me first update you on our Silver Jubilee THIS celebration. ISSUE... Following the successful kick-off ceremony in February, a series of celebratory events have been organised. The 4th Medical Education Conference, held in May, attracted over 200 participants President’s Message 1 to discuss cultivation of medical professionalism and research in medicine. During the summer, we organised our first-ever intercollegiate basketball tournament. After seven rounds of thrilling matches, 25th Anniversary 2 congratulations are due to the champions, the College of Surgeons and the runners-up, the College of Orthopaedic Surgeons. The players, cheerleaders and audience enjoyed the competition so much that Celebration they have requested that the Academy make this an annual event. Apart from activities for our Fellows, we are collaborating with Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) (“Healthpedia”,《精靈一點》) Highlight of the 5 to launch a 20-week special series with an aim to introduce the work of the Academy and the 15 Academy’s Events constituent Colleges, as well as the Disaster Preparedness and Response Institute and Innovative Learning Centre for Medicine. The series is broadcast every Monday from 23 July to 3 December on News and 7 RTHK TV31 and Radio 1. Do share this with your family, friends and colleagues. Unfortunately, Announcements owing to damage caused by the powerful typhoon Mangkhut at the golf courses of the Hong Kong Golf Club, the annual golf tournament has been cancelled. Other than that, activities planned and Young Fellows Chapter 8 the preparation work for our finale 25th Anniversary Congress are in full swing. Please remember to register for our congress if you have not yet done so! Medical Indemnity 9 Forum Another important and topical subject in the field is the Medical Registration (Amendment) Bill that was passed earlier this year. Of particular interest to us are the additional two seats from the HKJC DPRI 10 Academy in the Medical Council of Hong Kong. Various means to collect views and opinions from our Fellows were organised and a candidate forum was held on 25 July before the election started. HKJC ILCM 10 The postal ballot ended in August. Congratulations to the two winning candidates, Dr Danny Lee and Dr Cheung Chin Pang, who have joined the Medical Council as members for a 3-year Relations and 11 period. We believe they will support the work of the Medical Council in a manner aligned with the Collaborations with Academy’s mission to protect the health of the people of Hong Kong. China Counterparts We have also witnessed good progress on a number of our collaboration projects over the last few months. First, following the signing in January of a Memorandum of Understanding on the Some of the Events 13 Shenzhen–Hong Kong collaboration on specialist training, we have started conversations with the Attended by the relevant authorities and organisations in China and Hong Kong on the Academy’s work in the President and Officers Greater Bay Area. A pilot project on specialist training is being explored, and we will provide more updates in due course. Second, we collaborated with the Chinese Medical Doctor Association at its Membership Services 14 Summit Forum of China’s Standardised Medical Residency Training, which was held in Beijing in early September. The Academy hosted two sessions at the forum, and representatives from several New College Council 15 Colleges (Emergency Medicine, Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, Paediatricians, Physicians and Members Surgeons) delivered presentations covering their specialist training systems and programmes as well as on current trends in competency-based medical education. This alliance has further fostered knowledge and experience exchange between the Academy and our counterparts in mainland China. More importantly, during the Beijing trip, the Academy delegation met with the Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council Mr Zhang Xiaoming and Vice Minister of National Health Commission Ms Cui Li to exchange views on specialist training and health care development in China and Hong Kong. This reaffirms our work in mainland China over the years and reinforces the foundations for cooperation in the future. /cont... President’s Message (cont from page 1) Back in June, we held a joint press conference with the CUHK Faculty of Medicine, HKU Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine and The Hong Kong Medical Association to urge the Government to impose a total ban on electronic cigarettes and other new tobacco products. The Academy is also working with the Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health to organise a signatory campaign (www.smokefree.hk/support) on this policy advocacy and has co-signed a submission to the Chief Executive. We should not underestimate the adverse impacts of an emerging epidemic of addiction which is penetrating the younger generation. A total ban is the best policy to prevent the prevalence and associated adverse effects of these tobacco products from becoming uncontrollable. To improve public health, please join us to advocate for a total ban! As we always stress, the Academy strives to engage Fellows of different generations in our activities. To nurture young leaders in the medical profession, every year we recognise distinguished young Fellows in our Council dinner, the most recent of which was held in September. The Academy also officially formed the Young Fellows Chapter (YFC) in 2017 and the second term started in July. I hope that former YFC members enjoyed working with us and gained useful insights while participating in Academy matters. I trust that, in the new term, the YFC will continue to provide valuable support, which is essential to the sustainable development of the Academy. Last but not least, we regularly review our house rules and policies related to Fellowship matters, including subscription fees and services, and facility booking. To ensure we are in a healthy financial situation and to enhance the services we provide to our members, the Council deliberated and agreed on an increase of 10% in the annual subscription fee that will be introduced from 2019. The fee has not been adjusted since 2016 and we believe a regular review mechanism for the annual subscription fee is important and justifiable to account for general inflation and foreseeable maintenance work in the coming years. We are now busily preparing for our big day to celebrate the achievements of the Academy, as well as the hard work of everyone involved over the past 25 years. Do join us in celebrating this significant milestone of the Academy. I hope to see all of you at our finale 25th Anniversary Congress on 7–9 December 2018! Prof CS Lau President 25th Anniversary Celebration This year marks the Silver Jubilee of the Academy. The anniversary slogan, “Medical Excellence for a Healthy Future”, was chosen to convey our mission to uphold medical professionalism and nurturing young leaders for better healthcare. A series of celebratory events has been held during the year. Please visit the Academy’s commemorative website for details of the exciting celebratory activities (http://hkam25.hkam.org.hk). 25th Anniversary Celebration Kick-off and Spring Luncheon with Media On 26 February 2018, the Academy kicked off its 25th anniversary celebrations at a ceremony officiated by Prof Sophia Chan, JP, Secretary for Food and Health of the Government of Hong Kong SAR. A spring luncheon with the media, attended by President Prof CS Lau; Chairman of the 25th Anniversary Organising Committee Dr CC Lau; Council Members; as well as representatives of the Academy Colleges, followed. Central to the luncheon event was an extensive discussion on the challenges surrounding organ donation, in which the troubling disparity between the expertise Hong Kong possesses in transplant surgery and the lack of available donor organs was elaborated upon. To address this critical health issue, the Academy renewed its commitment to advance clinical excellence in organ transplantation and promote public awareness of organ donation to make a real difference in the lives of patients in need. 2 Summer & Autumn 2018 At the panel session, representatives from the Academy, Hong Kong College of Community Medicine, College of Ophthalmologists of Hong Kong, Hong Kong College of Physicians, and The College of Surgeons of Hong Kong discussed the current situation, technology, and difficulties of organ transplantation in Hong Kong. 25th Anniversary Congress The finale 25th Anniversary Congress, with the theme “Beyond 25: New Paradigms in Healthcare”, will be held on 7–9 December 2018. The Congress will serve as an excellent platform for local and international healthcare leaders and experts to share views on medical advances, innovative technologies and challenges across different specialties. Details about the provisional programme can be found at the Congress website: http://page.hkam.org.hk/25Congress. Halnan Lecture Speaker: Dr Humayun Chaudhry Chair, International Association of Medical Regulatory Authorities President and Chief Executive Officer, The Federation of State Medical Boards of the United States Topic: Medical Regulation: Supporting Technology, Protecting Patients David Todd Oration Speaker: Prof KY Yuen Henry Fok Professor of Infectious Diseases Chair of Infectious Diseases Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong Topic: Emerging Infectious Diseases and Beyond Register now at https://www.hkamonline.hk/form/25congress For enquiries, please contact the Congress Secretariat at [email protected]. HKAM Special Series on Radio Television Hong Kong To celebrate our 25th anniversary, the Academy is collaborating with the Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) to produce a 20-episode series of programmes providing information related to different specialties.