Hospital Authority First Major Medical Conference in Shenzhen
The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:
The Hospital Authority (HA) is hosting major medical conferences at the Qianhai International Conference Centre in Shenzhen from today (May 24) for two consecutive days. The conferences include the 2025 International Conference on International Hospital Accreditation and Quality-Safety, co-organised with the Shenzhen Hospital Accreditation Research Centre and the International Society for Quality in Health Care. With support from the Shenzhen Municipal Health Commission, the HA Convention - Shenzhen Session will also be held tomorrow (May 25) afternoon. This two-day event marks HA's first major medical conference held outside Hong Kong, promoting medical exchange between healthcare sectors of Hong Kong and different regions, enhancing healthcare quality and patient safety.
The 2025 International Conference on International Hospital Accreditation and Quality-Safety, which is being held today and tomorrow, will focus on various topics including international hospital accreditation, healthcare service quality improvement, and patient safety. The opening ceremony was officiated by theVice-Minister of the National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China, Professor Cao Xuetao; the Director-General of the Guangdong Provincial Health Commission, Dr Liu Liqun; the Director General of the Shenzhen Municipal Health Commission, Ms Wu Hongyan; the Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau; the Chairman of the HA, Mr Henry Fan, and approximately 700 medical experts from Hong Kong, Mainland, and various countries. Under the theme "Belt and Road Collaboration in Development of Optimal Healthcare Accreditation System to Improve Quality & Safety", representatives from Belt and Road countries including Cambodia, Egypt, Malaysia, Thailand, and Uzbekistan attended and participated in discussions, playing a crucial role in promoting high-quality development and international exchange in healthcare among Belt and Road countries.
The conference features multiple plenary sessions and keynote speeches, where medical experts engage in in-depth discussions on various topics, aiming to achieve mutual learning and improvement in healthcare service quality for patients' benefit.
The Chairman of the HA, Mr Henry Fan said, "The HA has committed to strengthening exchanges between Hong Kong and Mainland and international medical sectors. Hosting our first major medical conference outside Hong Kong in Shenzhen is highly significant, demonstrating our close connection with Greater Bay Area cities as we are reaching out to the world together, exploring new knowledge in international medicine and enhancing healthcare quality."
The HA Convention - Shenzhen Session to be held tomorrow afternoon is also the first pre-convention activity held in Shenzhen. It will feature in-depth discussions on translating knowledge into practice in future healthcare and topics such as artificial intelligence and big data in healthcare, serving as a prelude to the HA Convention at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre next Monday to Wednesday.
Mr Fan added that besides strengthening exchanges between Hong Kong's medical sector with Mainland and international communities, the HA has actively promoted various talent exchange programmes and recruited non-locally trained doctors in recent years. To date, over 300 non-locally trained doctors work in Hong Kong's public hospitals, many of them are experienced medical experts with extensive expertise in various specialties, playing a vital role in enhancing Hong Kong's healthcare quality.
Hospital Authority First Major Medical Conference in Shenzhen Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Hospital Authority First Major Medical Conference in Shenzhen Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
EDB reminds parents to choose primary schools under Central Allocation process for their children
The Education Bureau (EDB) today (January 12) reminded parents that children who have joined the Primary One Admission (POA) System for 2026 but have not yet secured a discretionary place can take part in the Central Allocation process for a Primary One (P1) place in a government or aided primary school. Parents concerned should make their choice of schools within the period from January 19 to 25.
Digitalisation of POA
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In line with the Smart Government strategy, the EDB has fully implemented digitalisation of the POA. Parents who have registered as POA e-Platform (ePOA) users and have bound their account to "iAM Smart+" may submit the Choice of Schools Form for Central Allocation from January 19 to 25 through the ePOA. Please refer to the related videos and Parent's Guide on the EDB's website (www.edb.gov.hk/en/edu-system/primary-secondary/spa-systems/primary-1-admission/poa_eplatform/index.html) for details of the procedures for activating and logging into an ePOA account and for making school choices for the Central Allocation of POA via the e-Platform.
Making school choices at Central Allocation Centres
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The EDB will send letters to parents on January 14 inviting them to make their choice of schools. To cater for the needs of different parents, parents can still submit the Choice of Schools Form in paper form by visiting the designated Central Allocation Centre at the suggested time slot (i.e. 9.30am to 12.30pm or 1.30pm to 4.30pm on January 24 (Saturday) or 9.30am to 12.30pm on January 25 (Sunday)) stated in the letter.
Parents who are ePOA users may choose to submit the Central Allocation Application via the ePOA or in paper form to the Central Allocation Centre but should not submit duplicate applications. Parents who have not yet received the letter by January 19 should call the School Places Allocation Section of the EDB (Hotline: 2832 7700) as soon as possible.
Only one parent of an applicant child is required to complete the school choice-making procedures. Parents are advised not to take their children to the Central Allocation Centre if possible. Parents who cannot make school choices within the suggested time slot can go to the designated Central Allocation Centre from 1.30pm to 4.30pm on January 25. The Choice of Schools Form will be sent together with the letter to parents who have submitted a paper Application Form at the Discretionary Places stage for filling out in advance.
In the event of adverse weather or other special conditions on any day during the period of making school choices, please pay heed to radio or television announcements on the relevant special arrangements.
Unable to submit application within specified choice-making period
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For individual parents who are unable to use the ePOA or go to the Central Allocation Centre to make school choices, they can authorise in writing a representative to bring the completed Choice of Schools Form and their signed Letter of Authorisation to the Central Allocation Centre to proceed with the related procedures.
To apply for POA 2026 for their children after January 25, parents need to complete necessary procedures with the School Places Allocation Section, which will separately arrange P1 places for the applicant children in June.
Change of residential address
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An EDB spokesman reminded parents that, if they have recently moved their residence or have such plans in the near future, they are required to inform the School Places Allocation Section as soon as possible so that they can make school choices in the POA School Net where their new home is located. Parents should fill in the actual residential address of their child. If they provide a false address for securing a P1 place, the POA application of their child will be rendered void and the P1 place allocated will be withdrawn.
The EDB has put in place a monitoring mechanism to verify the residential addresses of applicant children as given by the parents. Random checks have also been stepped up. The public may call the School Places Allocation Section to report suspected cases of using a false address by parents for their children's POA application. The EDB will take action against false address cases.
Mechanism of Central Allocation
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Central Allocation is composed of two parts. Part A, which takes up 10 per cent of the P1 places earmarked for Central Allocation, is for unrestricted school choices. Parents can choose up to three government or aided primary schools in any school net. Part B takes up the remaining 90 per cent of the P1 places earmarked for Central Allocation. Parents of applicant children residing in the school net concerned are to select schools from the "Choice of Schools List for Central Allocation (Primary One Admission 2026)" of their school net, while parents of applicant children who intend to commute daily to schools in Hong Kong are to select schools from the "2026 Choice of Schools List for Central Allocation (For Applicant Children who intend to commute daily to schools in Hong Kong)". Parents should fill in the Choice of Schools Form in the order of their preference.
The mechanism of the Central Allocation is based on parents' choices in general. The computer-programmed allocation will first process the school choices in Part A and then the school choices in Part B. For oversubscribed schools, the order of priority in allocating places will be determined by random numbers generated by the computer for individual applicants to ensure fairness.
For information about the procedures for Central Allocation, please call the EDB's 24-hour automatic telephone enquiry service at 2891 0088.
Release of Central Allocation results
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For parents who have already activated their ePOA account via "iAM Smart" or "iAM Smart+", they will receive their Central Allocation results through the ePOA from 10am on June 3. Parents who wish to receive the allocation results via SMS on June 3 may choose such an option in the Choice of Schools Form. In addition, the allocation results will be sent to parents by post on June 3 and 4.
Source: AI-found images
