Task Group on New Medical School holds first meeting today
The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, and the Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, cochaired the first meeting of the Task Group on New Medical School today (October 22) to discuss strategic directions and major parameters for the establishment of a third medical school in Hong Kong.
At the meeting, members of the Task Group discussed the considerations for establishing a third medical school in Hong Kong, and concluded that the third medical school should adopt an innovative strategic positioning in pursuit of complementary development with the two existing medical schools. The Task Group recommended that the curriculum design of the new medical school should be accorded top priority in consideration, requiring the medical curriculum to meet the requirements as stipulated by the Medical Council of Hong Kong. Proper arrangements should also be made for medical students to undergo an adequate amount of clinical training, thus ensuring that the medical students are well equipped with both professional knowledge and clinical skills to safeguard the interest of patients. The new medical school should also set out a forward-looking long-term development plan for its campus and teaching facilities, as well as an interim arrangement for a campus and a teaching hospital if admission of students is essential before the long-term facilities are available, alongside strategies to ensure financial soundness.
Professor Lo said, “The establishment of a third medical school is a significant project in the development of medical education in Hong Kong. Not only will it attract global talent and help nurture more outstanding doctors for further reinforcement of the city’s healthcare system in the sustainable provision of healthcare services with enhanced quality and quantity, but also serves to promote high-quality development in medical education and research, dovetailing with the city’s development as an international hub for medical training, research and innovation.”
Dr Choi said, “The establishment of a new medical school will further elevate Hong Kong’s position as an international education hub. Taking this unique opportunity, the scope of local medical teaching and research will be expanded through an innovative curriculum design and diversified student recruitment arrangements, complementing our goals of nurturing future talent and promoting the development of the ‘Study in Hong Kong’ brand.”
The first target of the Task Group is to extend an invitation of proposals within this year to local universities interested in setting up the new medical school. The Task Group will liaise with respective universities and assess the proposals, addressing issues on funding arrangements, course accreditation, sources of teaching staff and students, a teaching hospital and research etc. The Task Group will subsequently submit to the Chief Executive in Council recommendations on the establishment of the new medical school and related arrangements. Land will also be reserved in the Northern Metropolis Ngau Tam Mei for the construction of the new medical school campus and the associated integrated medical teaching and research hospital.
The Chief Executive announced in the Policy Address last Wednesday (October 16) that the Government supports the plan, by local universities, to establish a third medical school. The Task Group on New Medical School was then established the next day (October 17) to take up the responsibilities of devising the direction and parameters for establishing the new medical school, exploring ways to nurture more local medical talent and enhance Hong Kong’s healthcare system, as well as promoting various measures for Hong Kong to become an international medical training, research and innovation hub. The Task Group comprises seasoned local, Mainland and overseas academics for medical teaching and university management, professionals, the Chairman of the Medical Council of Hong Kong, the President of the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine, as well as representatives from relevant government bureaux and departments.
Task Group on New Medical School holds first meeting today Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Task Group on New Medical School holds first meeting today Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Task Group on New Medical School holds first meeting today Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Speech by SITI at Asia Health Innovation Summit of StartmeupHK Festival 2024
Following is the speech by the Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Professor Sun Dong, at the Asia Health Innovation Summit of StartmeupHK Festival 2024 today (October 24):
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
Good morning. It is my pleasure to speak at the Asia Health Innovation Summit, one of the highlights in the five-day StartmeupHK Festival. First of all, thank you for InvestHK and Brinc for bringing us an unparalleled platform to address the pressing health challenges and to push the boundaries of what is possible in life and health technology.
Hong Kong is pressing ahead to become an international innovation and technology (I&T) centre, as well as a health and medical innovation hub. With the rapid advancement of technology, we have been entering unchartered grounds in the life and health field. With five world top-100 universities, two world top-40 medical schools, eight State Key Laboratories and 16 InnoHK research centres which are life and health-related, Hong Kong has world-class research and development (R&D) capability in life and health technology. Hong Kong is one of the world’s leading fundraising hubs for biotechnology companies, and our vibrant start-up scene was ranked first in Asia among the world’s top-100 emerging ecosystems according to the Global Startup Ecosystem Report 2024.
To enhance the local I&T ecosystem, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government has been actively promoting interactive development of the upstream, midstream and downstream sectors. To further promote upstream basic R&D, we will launch a $6 billion worth of subsidy programme to provide funding subsidies for local universities to set up cross-institutional and multidisciplinary life and health technology research institute(s) in Hong Kong. We have also earmarked $3 billion for the implementation of the Frontier Technology Research Support Scheme to accelerate cross-disciplinary researches in various frontier technology fields such as clinical medicine and health as well as gene and biotechnology spearheaded by the eight local UGC (University Grants Committee)-funded universities and renowned scholars from around the world.
Furthermore, we have launched the $10 billion worth of Research, Academic and Industry Sectors One-plus Scheme (RAISe+) last year, to fund research teams from universities with good potential to become successful start-ups to transform and commercialise their outstanding R&D outcomes. Investors here with us today and around the world are welcome to collaborate with the universities in Hong Kong and invest in their RAISe+ projects.
To promote downstream industry development, further to the $10 billion worth of New Industrialisation Acceleration Scheme launched last month, the Chief Executive has announced in his 2024 Policy Address last week to set up another $10-billion I&T Industry-Oriented Fund to form a fund-of-funds to channel more market capital to invest in specified emerging and future industries of strategic importance, including life and health technology. We will also redeploy $1.5 billion under the Innovation and Technology Venture Fund to set up funds jointly with the market, on a matching basis, investing in start-ups of strategic industries to further enhance Hong Kong’s start-up ecosystem. By pooling together government resources and market investment, we hope to provide greater momentum to our burgeoning life and health technology industry.
By giving Hong Kong’s unique advantages full play, we are confident in pooling together global innovation resources to accelerate the development of life and health technology, constructing a more comprehensive and globally competitive I&T industry chain through concerted efforts. We envision a future where the technology seamlessly integrates with healthcare to improve quality of life for all. I look forward to many more collaborations with our neighbouring Asian cities on this front.
Thank you and have a great day.
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