With globalisation, "East meets West" is happening in practically every aspect of our life. In healthcare, Eastern medicine and traditional herbs, acupuncture and Chinese massage therapy are gaining increasing importance and recognition in the West.

Indeed, the SARS Expert Committee led by Sir Cyril Chantler and Prof Sian Griffiths in their report has recommended, inter alia, that "Further research should be conducted on ... clinical management of SARS, including therapeutics and the role of traditional Chinese medicine".

I think you will all agree with me that Hong Kong in itself is a unique and glittering showcase of living fusion of East and West, where fascinating temples and colonial buildings sit side by side with futuristic architectural masterpieces.

Hong Kong is indeed an ideal venue for hosting such a distinguished conference with the theme of "East Meets West - New Millennium Community Mental Health".

Yet, vibrant and colourful as our city is, life in Hong Kong as in other world cities is also complex and intense. Maintaining good mental health is not only important to our well-being but is also a growing concern of our community.

Our government invests substantially in this aspect and provides a wide spectrum of education, prevention, early identification, rehabilitation and re-integration services to support and encourage the ex-mentally ill's active participation in social life.

For example, a pilot project known as the EXITERS (Extended-care patients Intensive Treatment, Early diversion and Rehabilitation Stepping-stone) has been implemented, to divert a group of mentally ill patients receiving extended care in hospital to a home-like hostel for training on independent living skills. Through such arrangements, we will make it possible for their gradual return to living in the community.

Mental patients get support in the community

Our Hospital Authority has also enhanced the provision of its community-based psychiatric services to facilitate early identification of relapsed patients and provide additional support to them and their families.

Our Social Welfare Department has also launched a project called "Community Mental Health Link" which provides counselling and outreach visits to discharged mental patients, and arranges social, recreational and educational programmes to provide additional care and support to them and their families. I believe today's conference would be an excellent opportunity for us to learn more on innovative community mental health deliveries in Western countries.

We all know that government efforts alone can never be good enough. Collaboration among government, voluntary agencies, dedicated members of the professions in this field and the private sector is a strategic key to success and this conference will provide an excellent platform for stakeholders from all over the world to explore together new ideas and new service delivery modes.

East, West united in goal

While East and West have intriguing differences in cultural mindsets and community mentalities, we are all united behind the same goal here in the conference - to improve community-based mental health services for clients in need and to discover new modes of care for human development and better overall quality of life.

Let's not simply be distracted by the physical performance of outstanding athletes at the Olympic Games, still ongoing at Athens, but be inspired by the same spirit of internationalism, peace, team-playing and extension of potentialities for the best of mankind.

We are all here to ensure that the chemistry of our constructive diversities will lead to exchanges on innovative community mental health deliveries and researches. By synergising individual efforts and facilitating cultivation of global conception, we shall revitalise our energies in bringing new deliverables for the betterment of mental health services.

Permanent Secretary for Health, Welfare & Food Carrie Yau gave this address at the opening of the Worldwide Richmond Fellowship Conference & Asia Pacific Forum 2004 - "East Meets West - New Millennium Community Mental Health".