Health expert has hails Hong Kong's work to fight SARS both locally and overseas

A health expert has hailed Hong Kong's work to fight SARS both locally and overseas.

Co-chairman of the Monitoring Committee on the Implementation of the SARS Expert Committee Report's Recommendations Sir Cyril Chantler said Hong Kong is a safe place to visit thanks to the dedication to strengthen its defence against infectious diseases.

Sir Cyril said the Government's commitment to building infrastructure and manpower training to form the first line of defence for public health was impressive.

"Hong Kong has made good progress in preparing itself against communicable diseases and its effort was commendable. I am particularly pleased to see that the Centre for Health Protection has got off to a very good start and is set to become a public icon for health protection," he said.

"Hong Kong is the gateway to the world, and building up a strong line of defence against communicable diseases here will help the global community guard against possible spread of communicable diseases from the region."

$30 million earmarked for research collaboration

From next year, the Centre for Health Protection, in consultation with its Scientific Committees, will develop thematic priorities for research on infectious disease and report to the Health, Welfare & Food Bureau Research Council.

The council was formed to encourage, facilitate and support research on establishing thematic priorities, fostering collaborative partnerships, enhancing capacity building and pursuing excellence and innovation.

Sir Cyril said he is pleased to see $30 million has been earmarked for the centre to undertake research in collaboration with other universities, as scientific research will help develop the right strategy to tackle disease in an anticipatory manner.

Hospital visits conclude two-day session

The committee concluded its two-day session with a tour to Kwong Wah and Queen Elizabeth Hospitals today.

At Kwong Wah, members visited the traditional Chinese medicine general and specialist clinics where they were briefed on the latest application of herbal medicine on local patients who suffered from a wide range of illnesses.

At Queen Elizabeth, members were updated on the readiness of hospitals as a whole against infectious disease and hospital management.

Members had a full day meeting on October 4 to deliberate mainly on improvements in occupational health services in the Hospital Authority and research strategy on infectious diseases.

Sir Cyril said members have discussed the strategic direction of research and agreed that the policy goal of research is to generate new evidence-based knowledge that will contribute to the overall framework of prevention and control of infectious disease.

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