Secretary for Health Meets with Ministry of Health Singapore Delegation to Discuss Advancements in Chinese Medicine Development

Secretary for Health meets with Ministry of Health Singapore delegation

The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, met with a delegation led by the Director-General of Health of the Ministry of Health Singapore, Professor Kenneth Mak, today (July 14) for a detailed exchange on the development of Chinese medicine (CM) in the two places.

Professor Lo welcomed the delegation and introduced the strategies of CM development in Hong Kong to them. Professor Lo said, "The National 15th Five-Year Plan Outline calls for advancing the inheritance and innovation of CM and promoting its global expansion. The Chief Executive is leading the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government in formulating a five-year plan with a view to comprehensively and proactively aligning with the National 15th Five-Year Plan. In the field of healthcare, leveraging Hong Kong's advantages under the 'one country, two systems' framework to facilitate CM to go global will constitute a key element.

"The HKSAR Government has long been actively promoting CM development, and initial progress has already been achieved, including the release of the first Chinese Medicine Development Blueprint last year, and the launch of the two flagship projects for CM development, namely The Chinese Medicine Hospital of Hong Kong (CMHHK) and the permanent premises of the Government Chinese Medicines Testing Institute (GCMTI). These measures will further consolidate Hong Kong's role as a bridgehead for the global expansion of CM, and thereby fostering wider recognition and application of CM worldwide."

At the meeting, Hong Kong representatives introduced the policy directions of the Blueprint, the regulatory framework for CM, CM and integrated Chinese-Western medicine (ICWM) services, as well as the mission and functions of CMHHK and the GCMTI. The Singapore delegation shared an overview of the current CM development in Singapore.

The two sides also discussed topics including the CM service model, the clinical practice of ICWM, and the experiences of the two places in implementing CM policies. Professor Lo emphasised, "CM is not only an integral part of Hong Kong's healthcare system, but also plays an increasingly crucial role in different levels of healthcare services around the globe. We look forward to continuing to exchange experiences with international partners to jointly promote CM development, further leveraging its value and role in improving global health."

Representatives of the Health Bureau, the Department of Health, the Hospital Authority and CMHHK also attended the meeting.

The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, met with a delegation led by the Director-General of Health of the Ministry of Health Singapore, Professor Kenneth Mak, today (July 14). Photo shows Professor Lo (centre), Professor Mak (fourth left), and other attendees of the meeting. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau (second right), meets with a delegation led by the Director-General of Health of the Ministry of Health Singapore, Professor Kenneth Mak (first left), today (July 14) for a detailed exchange on the development of Chinese medicine in the two places. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Government continues to follow up on incident regarding powdered infant formula found with lead possibly exceeding limit, with no cases of lead poisoning in infants or young children due to consumption of powdered infant formula identified so far

The Department of Health (DH) today (August 26) said that since receiving a notification in late July from the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department that the product Frisolac Prestige Stage 1 Infant Formula (batch number: 1W07KPJ) had been found by the Macao authority with lead possibly exceeding the permissible level in Macao, the DH has been actively following up on the health conditions of infants and young children who consumed the relevant batch of powdered infant formula. No cases of lead poisoning in infants or young children resulting from consumption of the affected powdered infant formula have been identified.

In response to the incident, the DH set up a telephone hotline (2125 1199) on July 26 to answer public enquiries relating to the health condition of infants and young children, as well as the switching of infant formulas. Cases were referred to the Hospital Authority (HA) for follow-up as and when necessary. As of noon today, the DH's hotline and Maternal and Child Health Centres have received 762 relevant enquiries. Based on individual circumstances, the DH provided advice on switching infant formulas, and referred 446 infants and young children to the HA for assessment and follow-ups. Among them, 237 have undergone clinical assessments. Results indicated that their overall health is good and that none have shown signs of lead poisoning. Regarding the cases not assessed, the main reasons were that parents decided not to proceed with further assessment and a small number of cases are still pending assessment.

According to the CFS, it has stepped up the surveillance of lead content in powdered infant and follow-up formula in the market. To date, no cases have been found to exceed Hong Kong's statutory standard for lead.

Given that the hotline set up by the DH specifically for this incident has received only a small number of enquiries in recent weeks, the hotline will cease operations at 6pm on August 28. If parents notice that their infants or young children are feeling unwell, or if parents have any concerns, they should seek advice from healthcare professionals as soon as possible. For information on health advice regarding the switch to alternative infant formula, the public may visit the DH's webpage for details.

Source: AI-found images