Secretary for Health Prof Lo Chung-mau today attended the kick-off ceremony of the Greater Bay Area Medical Experience Camp 2023 of the University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital in Shenzhen and encouraged young attendees to work hard.
 
Addressing those gathered at the ceremony, Prof Lo urged youngsters who are passionate about joining the healthcare profession to put a great deal of effort into equipping themselves so that they are well-prepared for serving the society and people with healthcare needs in the future.
 
He also reminded them to keep their faith and aspiration of becoming such professionals, and always serve the best interests of patients when safeguarding citizens' health.
 
Organised into two sessions held during this month and August, the camp provides a five-day on-the-job experience for some 50 secondary students from the Mainland, Hong Kong and Macau.
 
Apart from learning more about the professional work of healthcare personnel, participants can experience the collaboration between healthcare professionals from Shenzhen and Hong Kong and get a better glimpse of the nation's healthcare development.
 
Prof Lo said: "Looking back, the Mainland mobilised a medical support team to assist Hong Kong in treating COVID-19 patients at a time when the city was hard hit by the epidemic. The seamless collaboration of Mainland and Hong Kong medical teams reinforced the healthcare co-operation between the two places.”
 
He stressed that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government will continue to press ahead with the healthcare exchanges between the two places, while further expanding the scope of these exchanges.
 
“It is my wish that through various channels of exchanges and learning at different levels, a sustainable mechanism for healthcare professionals and the young people of the Mainland and Hong Kong will be in place for them to draw on experience of each other," Prof Lo added.
 
The health chief also noted that in the long run, the healthcare exchange programmes of the two places will be conducive to enhancing the overall quality of healthcare services in the bay area.
 
“The Health Bureau will keep pursuing co-operation with various cities of the bay area under the principles of complementarity and mutual benefits and on the premise of benefitting the healthcare development of both the Mainland and Hong Kong.”
 
Before departing from Shenzhen, Prof Lo met with officials of the Shenzhen Municipal Health Commission to exchange views on deepening medical collaboration between Shenzhen and Hong Kong.