The Chinese Medicine Hospital of Hong Kong Signs Strategic Partnerships with Hebei Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine and Shenzhen Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital

Secretary for Health witnesses signing of strategic collaboration agreements by The Chinese Medicine Hospital of Hong Kong with Hebei Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine and Shenzhen Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital

The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, witnessed the signing of strategic collaboration agreements by The Chinese Medicine Hospital of Hong Kong (CMHHK) with the Shenzhen Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital (SZTCMH) and the Hebei Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine (HBHCM) respectively yesterday (April 15) and today (April 16) at CMHHK. The agreements laid a foundation and set the direction for collaboration on various fronts between CMHHK and the two Chinese medicine (CM) hospitals in Shenzhen Municipality and Hebei Province.

Professor Lo and member of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China Shenzhen Municipal Committee and the Party Leadership Group of the Shenzhen Municipal People's Government, Mr Chen Qing, witnessed the signing of the Strategic Collaboration Agreement between SZTCMH and CMHHK by the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of CMHHK Operator, Mr Wong Kwai-huen, and the President of SZTCMH, Professor Zhu Meiling, yesterday. Professor Lo also witnessed the signing of the Strategic Collaboration Agreement between HBHCM and CMHHK by Mr Wong and the Director of HBHCM, Professor Zhi Zheng, today. The signing marked the official commencement of collaboration between CMHHK and the two CM hospitals.

Professor Lo said, "CMHHK has been committed to providing a key platform for promoting innovation in CM, deepening regional co-operation and leading future development through establishing closer liaison with healthcare institutions on the Mainland and internationally, thereby further strengthening Hong Kong's role as an international hub for CM exchanges. The establishment of strategic partnerships with the CM hospitals in Shenzhen Municipality and Hebei Province also responds to the national goals, as set out in the 15th Five-Year Plan, of better integrating into the overall national development and fostering the inheritance and innovation of CM. Hong Kong will continue to leverage the institutional strengths of 'one country, two systems' to promote collaborations between Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland in the healthcare sector. At the same time, Hong Kong will strive to serve as a bridgehead for CM to go global by leveraging its role as an important window for exchange and mutual learning between Chinese and Western cultures."

The two strategic collaboration agreements cover numerous areas, including exchange of CM talents, cross-boundary distance discussions of cases, establishment of a sharing platform for drug interaction alert notifications, organisation of CM academic conferences, development of a scientific research network, as well as other related projects on education, scientific research and healthcare services that are conducive to CM development in Hong Kong-Shenzhen and Hong Kong-Hebei. CMHHK will advance collaboration together with SZTCMH and HBHCM respectively in accordance with the strategic collaboration agreements.

Apart from the abovementioned agreements, CMHHK has already signed strategic collaboration agreements with key hospitals in several provincial-level administrative regions (namely Guangdong Province, Beijing Municipality, Tianjin Municipality, Jiangsu Province, Shandong Province, Sichuan Province and the Macao Special Administrative Region), as well as with TCM-Klinik Bad Kötzting in Germany and Western Sydney University in Australia.

The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, witnessed the signing of a strategic collaboration agreement by The Chinese Medicine Hospital of Hong Kong (CMHHK) with the Shenzhen Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital (SZTCMH) yesterday (April 15) at CMHHK. Photo shows Professor Lo (eighth left); member of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China Shenzhen Municipal Committee and the Party Leadership Group of the Shenzhen Municipal People's Government, Mr Chen Qing (eighth right); Deputy Director of the Public Hygiene and Health Commission of Shenzhen Municipality Ms Zhou Liping (seventh right); the President of SZTCMH, Professor Zhu Meiling (sixth right); the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of CMHHK Operator, Mr Wong Kwai-huen (seventh left); the Hospital Chief Executive of CMHHK, Professor Bian Zhaoxiang (third left), and other personnel of Hong Kong and Shenzhen. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau (first right), and member of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China Shenzhen Municipal Committee and the Party Leadership Group of the Shenzhen Municipal People's Government, Mr Chen Qing (first left), jointly witness the signing of the Strategic Collaboration Agreement between the Shenzhen Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital (SZTCMH) and The Chinese Medicine Hospital of Hong Kong (CMHHK) by the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of CMHHK Operator, Mr Wong Kwai-huen (second right), and the President of SZTCMH, Professor Zhu Meiling (second left), at CMHHK yesterday (April 15), which lays a foundation and sets the direction for collaboration on various fronts between the two hospitals. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, witnessed the signing of a strategic collaboration agreement by The Chinese Medicine Hospital of Hong Kong (CMHHK) with the Hebei Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine (HBHCM) today (April 16) at CMHHK. Photo shows the Director of HBHCM, Professor Zhi Zheng (third left); the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of CMHHK Operator, Mr Wong Kwai-huen (centre); the Hospital Chief Executive of CMHHK, Professor Bian Zhaoxiang (third right), and other hospital personnel of Hong Kong and Hebei after the signing ceremony. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau (first right), witnesses the signing of the Strategic Collaboration Agreement between the Hebei Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine (HBHCM) and The Chinese Medicine Hospital of Hong Kong (CMHHK) by the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of CMHHK Operator, Mr Wong Kwai-huen (second right), and the Director of HBHCM, Professor Zhi Zheng (second left), at CMHHK today (April 16), which lays a foundation and sets the direction for collaboration on various fronts between the two hospitals. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Employers and employees should make reasonable work arrangements after tropical cyclones or rainstorms

The Labour Department (LD) today (June 8) reminded employers to make practical and reasonable work arrangements for employees after the cancellation of tropical cyclone warnings or rainstorm warnings, with due consideration to the road and traffic conditions and other factors, and make flexible arrangements for staff to resume work or work remotely (if applicable). This will help maintain good labour-management relations, and ensure the safety of employees as well as the smooth operation of organisations.

"For staff who have genuine difficulties in resuming work on time upon cancellation of a tropical cyclone or rainstorm warning, employers should be sympathetic and handle each case flexibly. For example, employers may allow employees to resume work in stages, permit employees who have difficulties in returning to workplaces to work remotely (if applicable) or allow more time for them to report for duty and resume work," an LD spokesman said.

The spokesman reminded employers to observe the statutory liabilities and requirements under the Employment Ordinance, Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance, Factories and Industrial Undertakings Ordinance, Employees' Compensation Ordinance and Minimum Wage Ordinance.

"As natural calamities cannot be avoided, for employees who are not able to report for duty or resume duty on time due to adverse weather or extreme conditions, employers should neither deduct their wages, good attendance bonus or allowances, nor reduce employees' entitlement to annual leave, statutory holidays or rest days under the Employment Ordinance, or ask for additional hours of work from employees to compensate for the loss of working hours when they are unable to report for duty," the spokesman said.

Employers should note that they have an obligation to provide and maintain a safe working environment for their employees under the Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance. Moreover, under the Employees' Compensation Ordinance, employers are liable to pay compensation for injuries or deaths incurred when employees are travelling by a direct route from their residence to their workplace, or from their workplace back to their residence after work, four hours before or after working hours on a day when Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal No. 8 or higher, a Red or Black Rainstorm Warning Signal or extreme conditions are in force.

The LD has published the "Code of Practice in Times of Adverse Weather and 'Extreme Conditions'", which provides the major principles, reference guidelines and information on relevant legislation on making work arrangements for the reference of employers and employees. The booklet can be obtained from branch offices of the Labour Relations Division or downloaded from the department's webpage (www.labour.gov.hk/eng/public/wcp/Rainstorm.pdf).

Source: AI-found images