Hong Kong has once again achieved outstanding health-related indicators worldwide. Besides a very low mortality rate, the life expectancy at birth in 2011 was 80.5 years for men and 86.7 years for women. Along with a low infant mortality rate of 1.3 per 1,000 live births, Hong Kong’s outstanding health indicators reflect the vigorous efforts taken by the Hospital Authority (HA) in enhancing health in Hong Kong in the past 21 years.

As HA enters a new decade of service, factors such as Hong Kong’s aging population, exponential growth of knowledge, advent in technology, increase in drug costs and escalating expectations of our stakeholders continue to present us with formidable challenges.

Using about 2.3% of Hong Kong’s GDP, HA has built a world-class public healthcare infrastructure that handles around 90% of secondary and tertiary medical needs in our city. This is recognised by governments around the world.

Our status as one of the health leaders worldwide has been built on a firm commitment to providing quality healthcare for patients at all stages of life. We recognise the rapidly growing demand for services from specific groups – such as pre and neo-natal, infant and elderly patients – who have complex and diversified medical needs requiring highly specialist care.

We have placed particular focus on these medically vulnerable groups in addressing staff shortage, upscaling professional knowledge and skills, investing in equipment, and reengineering systems to ensure effective and efficient patient treatment and throughput. This strategy has played a central role in ensuring that our citizens’ health is safeguarded in the long run.

Our services receive equal commendation from the local community. In June 2011, we released the findings of the first HA-wide Patient Satisfaction Survey. Conducted by The Chinese University of Hong Kong, the survey returned encouraging results, with 80% of patients rating the care they received as excellent, very good or good; and nearly 90% of patients noting that they had confidence and trust in our doctors and nurses.

Despite our strenuous efforts to retain high-calibre staff and to recruit local doctors for part-time and full-time positions, grave professional manpower shortage persisted in certain specialties, which led to the decision to recruit a number of non-local doctors to practise with limited registration as residents in HA hospitals. A special Task Force was established to scrutinise the qualifications and work experience of applicants before seeking approval from the Medical Council of Hong Kong. In the 2011-12 exercise, 12 non-local doctors were offered employment in HA hospitals.

In parallel, we enhanced career development prospects of frontline nurses by creating additional promotional posts, raised allowances for nurses working continuous night shifts and recruited extra support staff to take up non-nursing duties.

Our efforts to improve working conditions were bolstered by the Government’s support to increase our annual recurrent funding in 2011-12 for the fourth consecutive year to HK$38 billion, an increase of 11.8% over that of last year. The long-awaited approval of the redevelopment plans for two of our oldest hospitals, Queen Mary and Kwong Wah, was particularly gratifying.

In February 2012, a delegation of HA Board paid the first official visit to the Ministry of Health and relevant health bureaux in Beijing. It was encouraging to have the Ministry’s commendations on our work, especially in the areas of effective hospital management and structured training programmes. The Ministry of Health and HA signed an agreement to further collaborate on senior hospital management training.

We welcomed Ms Chiang Lai-yuen, Mr Andy Lau Kwok-fai, Mrs Margaret Leung Ko May-yee, Mr Pang Yiu-kai and Professor Maurice Yap as new members of the HA Board during the year. We are honoured to have the benefit of their knowledge and expertise.

I wish to extend my sincere thanks to all members of the Board, Regional Advisory Committees and Hospital Governing Committees, as well as to the co-opted members of all functional committees, for their continuing guidance and advice in helping us shape HA’s strategic direction, goals and policies.

I must also express my gratitude to many others whose contribution and support enable HA to successfully discharge its roles and responsibilities, including patient groups, District Councils, the Legislative Council as well as many individuals in the community. Special acknowledgement is due to all our volunteers who work selflessly in our hospitals and institutions.

In reiterating my heartfelt appreciation for the efforts of all HA staff, I offer warm congratulations to this year’s recipients of Outstanding Staff and Teams Awards, who provide inspiration through exemplary service, effective collaboration, visionary leadership and a positive approach to their work.

With continuing dedication and drive of every member of the HA team, I am confident that the Authority will continue to provide a strong healthcare safety net for the people of Hong Kong.

Anthony T Y WU, GBS, JPChairman