Opening Ceremony of International Conference on Global Health and Public Health Education and Launching of the CUHK Jockey Club Community Primary Care Programme
The Opening Ceremony of the International Conference on Global Health and Public Health Education and Launching of the CUHK Jockey Club Community Primary Care Programme was held today at Shaw Auditorium of the School of Public Health and Primary Care (SPHPC), The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) as part of its 10th anniversary celebrations.
Dr the Hon. York CHOW Yat-ngok, Secretary for Food and Health, the Government of Hong Kong SAR, and Dr Donald Kwok-tung LI, Steward of The Hong Kong Jockey Club officiated and delivered congratulatory messages to the CUHK School of Public Health and Primary care.
The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust donated the set up of the School of Public Health more than a decade ago to enhance multi-disciplinary cooperation for advancement of public health. Since then, it has donated a further HK$7.45 million to The Chinese University of Hong Kong to run a three-year pilot Community Primary Care Programme in support of the Government's call to promote primary healthcare. "The Club's support to this three-year pilot programme demonstrates our commitment on the development of primary healthcare," Dr Li said. "We are very pleased to be able to walk this extra mile with the Chinese University in expanding the scope of primary healthcare into the community. I look forward to seeing this pilot project come to fruition, bringing both positive and sustainable benefits for the local community."
The 3-day conference, attended by delegates from over 36 countries, will discuss a wide array of public health issues, from non-communicable diseases to sustainability, from disaster response to bioethics, with a common focus on global health and public health education.
"We recognize the increasing importance of taking a global perspective and we hope to create stronger partnerships with colleagues in many parts of the world to share experiences and support mutual learning. The enthusiastic response and rich array of presentations at the conference signifies a step on the way to this journey," commented Professor Sian GRIFFITHS, Director of SPHPC..
Over 300 researchers, scholars and health care professionals from 36 countries and regions attended this conference to discuss and exchange views on various health challenges.
Celebrating its 10th Anniversary, SPHPC has launched a 10-year development campaign with the generous donations from the Hong Kong Jockey Club and individual donors, which will be inaugurated at the 10th Anniversary Dinner. The inauguration of the 10-year development programme will be witnessed by conference speakers and participants from around the world, as well as colleagues and friends who have been supportive of the development of the School in the past decade.
The School of Public Health and Primary Care was established on 1 August 2009 by bringing together the former School of Public Health and the Department of Community and Family Medicine, with the mission to improve the health of the population locally, nationally and internationally. The inclusion of primary care reflects the importance placed internationally and locally on developing primary care as the basis for effective health service delivery. The school is the first institution of its kind in Hong Kong to provide comprehensive education, training, consultation, and research in public health and primary care and has extensive international collaborations.
