Government deeply concerned about suspected online resale of public hospital patients' medicines
The Government yesterday (August 13) expressed grave concern over the suspected resale of public hospital patients' medicines on an online platform and will deal with the incident seriously. The Government reiterated that the Department of Health (DH) has an established mechanism to monitor the sale of health and pharmaceutical products in the Hong Kong market, including those through the Internet. The DH is liaising with the Hospital Authority to seriously investigate into the alleged case and shall take prompt enforcement action as appropriate.
According to the preliminary understanding, the incident involved a pharmaceutical product, Lactulose. It does not contain any substance listed in the Poisons List of the Pharmacy and Poisons Regulations (Cap. 138A) and is a type of "non-poison" medicine which does not require a prescription nor under the supervision of pharmacist for sale.
According to the Pharmacy and Poisons Ordinance (Cap. 138) (the Ordinance), any products falling within the definition of "pharmaceutical products" must satisfy the criteria of safety, efficacy and quality, and must be registered with the Pharmacy and Poisons Board of Hong Kong before they can be sold or distributed in Hong Kong. If a product fails to compile with relevant statutory requirements (such as being unregistered, or found to have quality defects or adulterated with harmful substances), the DH will investigate and make public announcement as soon as possible to safeguard public health. In addition, if the concerned medicines are also classified as Part 1 poisons under the Ordinance, the medicines should only be sold by pharmacies and under the supervision of registered pharmacists. Illegal sale or possession of unregistered pharmaceutical products or Part 1 poisons are criminal offences under the Ordinance, which upon conviction, are subject to a penalty of a fine up to HK$100,000 and an imprisonment of two years.
If the DH detects any suspected illegal sale or possession of pharmaceutical products, the DH will promptly investigate, and, if necessary, conduct joint operations with other law enforcement agencies, and any irregularities so found will be dealt with in accordance with the law. For this specific case, the DH will investigate along the line of illegal sale of unregistered pharmaceutical products. In the past five years (from 2020 to June 2024), the Drug Office of the DH handled 209 conviction cases involving illegal sale or possession of unregisteredpharmaceutical products orPart 1 poisons, with the highest penalty of an imprisonment of 10 months or a fine of up to HK$100,000.
The DH has been reminding the public, through publicity and education including various online materials such as "General Knowledge on the Use of Medicines" and "Be Cautious when Buying Medicines on Internet", to refrain from purchasing or using products with unknown or dubious ingredients, or from unknown sources, for protection of public health.
Source: AI-generated images
"Let's T.A.L.K. and Walk with Kids" stakeholder engagement event to promote positive parenting and strengthen family bonding held today
The Commission on Children (CoC), the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) and the Social Welfare Department today (September 14) jointly held the"Let's T.A.L.K. and Walk with Kids" stakeholder engagement and Mid-Autumn Festival celebration event under the theme of positive parenting and family bonding. Through a variety of parent-child interactive games, stress relief activities and sharing sessions, the event aimed at promoting positive parenting, enhancing family bonding and celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Over 80 participants from around 30 families with children participating in the Child Development Fund
and their family members attended the event. The Secretary for Labour and Welfare and Vice-chairperson of the CoC, Mr Chris Sun, together with ex-officio member of the CoC, the Commissioner of Police, Mr Siu Chak-yee, and the Director of Social Welfare, Miss Charmaine Lee, joined the event to cheer on the parents and children.
Mr Sun said that a harmonious family relationship is conducive to the healthy development of children, both physically and mentally. He encouraged parents to spend more time playing with their children and share quality parent-child moments together. Mr Siu hoped that the event, with a series of diverse and challenging parent-child interactive games, would provide participants with special family time together, and could promote positive and healthy family relationships. Miss Lee said that families are the cornerstone of society and the backbone of child protection. She encouraged families to develop stronger familial bonds and enhanced care so that a loving and harmonious environment can be built for the children.
As part of the "Walk with Kids" thematic campaign of the CoC, the stakeholder engagement event was conducted in the format of a day camp at the Junior Police Call Permanent Activity Centre and Integrated Youth Training Camp at Pat Heung. Non-official members of the CoC moderated the group sharing sessions, listening to parents sharing parenting experiences, and providing suggestions for practising positive parenting and enhancing family relationships. Under the guidance of the clinical psychologist from the HKPF, parents also learned and shared relaxation techniques with an aim to assist them in facing parenting challenges with a positive mindset amid their busy daily lives. Apart from a series of parent-child adventure and experiential activities, there was a lantern-making workshop to enhance interaction and collaboration between parents and their children, riding on the vibe of the Mid-Autumn Festival.
"Let's T.A.L.K. and Walk with Kids" stakeholder engagement event to promote positive parenting and strengthen family bonding held today Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
"Let's T.A.L.K. and Walk with Kids" stakeholder engagement event to promote positive parenting and strengthen family bonding held today Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
"Let's T.A.L.K. and Walk with Kids" stakeholder engagement event to promote positive parenting and strengthen family bonding held today Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
"Let's T.A.L.K. and Walk with Kids" stakeholder engagement event to promote positive parenting and strengthen family bonding held today Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
"Let's T.A.L.K. and Walk with Kids" stakeholder engagement event to promote positive parenting and strengthen family bonding held today Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
"Let's T.A.L.K. and Walk with Kids" stakeholder engagement event to promote positive parenting and strengthen family bonding held today Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
"Let's T.A.L.K. and Walk with Kids" stakeholder engagement event to promote positive parenting and strengthen family bonding held today Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
"Let's T.A.L.K. and Walk with Kids" stakeholder engagement event to promote positive parenting and strengthen family bonding held today Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
