My Chairmanship of the Hospital Authority (HA) began with a visit to the new North Lantau Hospital (NLTH) on 1 December 2013. A little over two months later in February, I attended the ground-breaking ceremony for Hong Kong Children’s Hospital (HKCH) in Kai Tak. With plans that include the redevelopment, expansion or opening of at least seven hospitals in the coming 10 years, NLTH and HKCH are just two examples of HA’s dedication to providing quality services to meet the current and future healthcare needs of people in Hong Kong.
The past year landmarked our endeavours on several fronts. At the Board level, we launched a number of initiatives including enhanced corporate governance. At the clinical level, we set up a centrally coordinated cross-cluster patient referral system to reduce waiting time for specialist services and reinforced our clinical capacity and capabilities through steps such as improving our equipment, IT systems and models of service delivery.
We are deeply grateful to the Hong Kong Government for its continuing commitment through both funding and policy support.
For 2014-15, the Government has increased HA’s recurrent subvention to HK$47.2 billion – a 3.7% increase over the previous year’s.Our creditable progress in 2013-14 was achieved despite many significant challenges. I must pay tribute to my predecessor, Mr Anthony Wu Ting-yuk, for his outstanding contribution to HA and public healthcare during his nine years as HA Chairman. I must also thank HA Chief Executive, Dr Leung Pak-yin, who was re-appointed in November 2013 for a second term of three years. Under his guidance, HA’s highly talented leadership team has grown in cohesion and capability in responding to rising public expectations, greater demand for healthcare services and increasing pressure on clinical staff.
We welcomed Professor Francis Chan Ka-leung, Dr Kam Pok-man, Professor Raymond Liang Hin-suen, Professor Gabriel Matthew Leung, Mr Andrew Fung Hau-chung and Mr Stephen Lee Hoi-yin to the Board during the past year. Their diverse range of expertise and experience has brought fresh perspectives to Board discussions. I also express my sincere thanks to Professor Lee Sum-ping, Mr Benjamin Hung Pi-cheng, Mrs Yvonne Law Shing Mo-han and Ms Ka-shi Lau, who have stepped down as Board Members in 2013-14 after providing years of invaluable counsel.
I am grateful to all members of the Board, Regional Advisory Committees and Hospital Governing Committees, and to the co-opted members of our functional committees for their advice and support. My sincere thanks also go to patient groups, District Council and Legislative Council members, and to all our HA volunteers, whose contribution enabled us to move forward with our vision.
The devotion and support of our staff continues to ensure that HA remains highly respected by governments and healthcare administrators across the globe for our professionalism. The exemplary efforts of my colleagues are best highlighted by the supreme teamwork and service excellence demonstrated by this year’s winners of Outstanding Staff and Teams Award. I congratulate our Award recipients and offer heartfelt thanks to all our staff for their tireless passion and care.
HA is committed to ensuring that public healthcare remains a cornerstone of work to promote good health and social development in Hong Kong. I trust that with the concerted efforts of the HA family and strong community support, we will achieve ever-greater outcomes for our patients and their families.
John CY Leong
Chairman