Secretary for Health meets with Zhuhai Health Bureau delegation
The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, met with a delegation led by the Director General of the Zhuhai Health Bureau, Ms Zhu Ziqin, today (July 9) to exchange views on healthcare co-operation between Hong Kong and Zhuhai, and to explore directions for deepening the collaboration.
At the meeting, Professor Lo and the delegation discussed the progress of the cross-boundary two-way ambulance transfers, as well as the prevention and control of communicable diseases between Hong Kong and Zhuhai. They also exchanged views on issues between the two places such as Chinese medicine services and the industry-academia-research collaboration of the biomedicine industry.
Professor Lo said, "Hong Kong and Zhuhai enjoy geographical ties and frequent exchanges, and have been maintaining close ties in the healthcare sector. I would like to express my gratitude to Zhuhai for its support in promoting exchanges and co-operation between the two places. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government will continue to proactively promote healthcare exchanges and co-operation between Hong Kong and Zhuhai under the principles of complementarity and mutual benefits. This is to fully leverage Hong Kong's distinctive advantages of enjoying strong support of the motherland and being closely connected to the world, thereby jointly contributing to propelling the important national strategy of 'Healthy China' and building a 'Healthy Bay Area'."
Professor Lo also introduced to the delegation the latest developments in the HKSAR Government's implementation of the family doctor system and related training, including the service delivery and management experience of family doctors, with a view to fostering exchanges and mutual learning of family doctor training resources between the two places.
He said, "The HKSAR Government has been committed to promoting community-based primary healthcare development, and advocating the concept of 'Family Doctor for All' through District Health Centres (DHCs) to strengthen health promotion, disease prevention and chronic disease management, and progressively establish a more systematic family doctor service and training system."
Before today's meeting, the delegation, accompanied by the Commissioner for Primary Healthcare of the Health Bureau, Dr Pang Fei-chau, also visited the Yau Tsim Mong District Health Centre to learn more about the role and operations of DHCs as a primary healthcare resource hub in providing community primary healthcare services and supporting family doctors.
Secretary for Health meets with Zhuhai Health Bureau delegation Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Secretary for Health meets with Zhuhai Health Bureau delegation Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Government announces latest progress on Pak Shek Kok Station integrated development project
The Government today (July 9) announced the latest progress on the Pak Shek Kok (PSK) Station integrated development project, and will consult the Tai Po District Council tomorrow (July 10).
The PSK development project encompasses multiple policy objectives. These include building the PSK Station to enhance commuting convenience for residents and the working population at the Science Park, as well as boosting the overall attractiveness of the Science Park; reprovisioning the existing Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK) Sports Centre to a site adjacent to EdUHK's main campus to facilitate students' use of it, releasing the development potential of land in the vicinity including the EdUHK Sports Centre site in PSK to be freed up after reprovisioning; and upgrading the infrastructure required for the proposed development in the district.
A Development Bureau (DEVB) spokesman said, "As the project itself involves constructing a station on running tracks, as well as the reprovisioning of the EdUHK Sports Centre and the upgrading of infrastructure, it faces considerable engineering and financing challenges. Following detailed studies with the MTR Corporation Limited (MTRCL), we have finalised the development proposal that will benefit various sectors of the community. This includes not only the building of PSK Station to facilitate commuting convenience for the working population at the Science Park and nearby residents, but also the reprovisioning of the EdUHK Sports Centre to enhance students' learning and campus life experience, which also aligns with the Government's policy to promote Hong Kong as an international higher education hub. We will also finance the relevant integrated development by granting the property development rights for private residential development."
The spokesman continued, "At present, the residential and working population in PSK and the Science Park rely primarily on road transport. As the district becomes increasingly mature, there has been a strong local demand for enhancing the external transport infrastructure of PSK. We will adopt a 'station first, residential development later' approach to take forward the project, with a view to enhancing the attractiveness of the Science Park and improving commuting convenience for the residents as soon as possible through strengthened transport infrastructure."
The proposed PSK Station will be located roughly mid-way between the Science Park and the existing EdUHK Sports Centre site. The selection of the station site aims to facilitate the vast majority of the current and future residential and working populations. The proposed works also include the provision of a barrier-free elevated footbridge spanning across the Tolo Highway to connect the station with Chong San Road (near the Science Park), with a view to strengthening the connectivity between the developments on both sides of the highway.
The Chief Executive in Council has approved the Government to invite the MTRCL to proceed with the detailed planning and design for the PSK Station project, and agreed in principle to grant the property development rights of two sites to the MTRCL to finance the construction of PSK Station, the reprovisioning of the EdUHK Sports Centre, and the construction of relevant infrastructure. The two sites are located at PSK ("Site 1") and Ma On Shan ("Site 2").
The MTRCL will commence the detailed design and relevant assessments for the proposed integrated development, while the Government will continue to scrutinise the technical and financial assessments submitted by the MTRCL to further refine the project arrangements. Among others, the MTRCL will conduct detailed assessments including the traffic impact and will co-ordinate with relevant parties to implement appropriate mitigation measures. According to preliminary estimates by Government departments, the current capacity of the East Rail Line (EAL) is still sufficient to cater for the forecast passenger demand arising from the addition of the PSK Station. The Government and the MTRCL will continue to closely monitor the passenger demand on the EAL, and having regard to community development, population growth in the area, and changes in community planning, review the actual operational situation, as well as passenger distribution patterns and changes in a timely manner. Consideration will be given to the procurement of additional trains to increase train frequencies as necessary to meet the passenger demand and maintain the service levels of the EAL.
Subject to the smooth progress of subsequent works, the construction works for proposed PSK Station are expected to commence in the second half of 2028, with a target for commissioning the station by 2033. Following the resumption and clearance of private land involved at the Tung Tsz site at Ting Kok Road, Tai Po, the reprovisioning works for the EdUHK Sports Centre will commence in the second half of 2028 and is expected to be completed in 2031. To ensure a seamless transition, Site 1 will only be released after the new sports centre is commissioned. The residential developments at Site 1 and Site 2 are expected to commence progressively from 2031 at the earliest.
The paper (Chinese only) to be discussed by the Tai Po District Council tomorrow has been uploaded onto the website of the District Council (www.districtcouncils.gov.hk/tp/doc/2024_2027/tc/committee_meetings_doc/SHDC/32180/SHD_33_2026.pdf), which includes the location plans of the proposed PSK Station and relevant residential sites.
Source: AI-found images
