(Policy Address 2024) Support the establishment of a third medical school

The government will support the establishment of a Third Medical School as well as roll out various measures in order for Hong Kong to be a bridgehead for the internationalization of Chinese medicine (CM), Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said on Wednesday.

The government stated today that it supports the plan by local universities to establish a third medical school, increasing the number of doctors and supporting the city's development as an international health- and medical-innovation hub.

A task group will be set up, inviting universities interested in establishing the new medical school to submit proposals. The government will set aside sites in the Northern Metropolis Ngau Tam Mei to develop the new medical school campus and build an integrated medical teaching and research hospital.

Lee noted that they will strengthen the HA's public healthcare services through various measures.

They will review the structure and levels of the HA's fees and charges to encourage prudent use of services and direct resources to patients who need them most and for those with serious or critical conditions, while increasing support for patients with financial difficulties and strengthening the financial sustainability of the targeted subsidization of public healthcare services.

The centralized procurement of drugs and medical devices by various clusters of the HA system will also be strengthened in order to enhance their bargaining power and to expedite, in a more proactive manner, the introduction of new drugs, meeting efficacy and cost-effectiveness standards for the Drug Formulary.

Lee also announced that they will finalize the projects and timetable of the Second Hospital Development Plan to coincide with the development of the Northern Metropolis and to address the needs of local districts.

He stated that they will also set up, in accordance with national accreditation standards, the first stroke center and the second chest pain center.

The address also mentioned that they will increase the service capacity for cataract surgeries by at least 20 percent.

He added that to develop Hong Kong into a bridgehead for the internationalization of Chinese medicine (CM), the government will make use of Hong Kong's advantages in its healthcare system, regulatory regime, standard-setting, clinical research and trade, and other areas. They will publish the CM Development Blueprint next year.

They will explore the application of big data to foster international research collaboration on herb-drug interaction to discover more evidence of clinical significance, promoting the internationalization of CM.

The Hong Kong leader also stated that they will expand integrating Chinese-Western medicine services to cover more diseases in which CM has an advantage, including respiratory diseases and knee osteoarthritis, and to progressively extend the cancer care program to all hospital clusters.

The address mentions rolling out the first Chinese Medicine Hospital and the permanent premises of the Government Chinese Medicines Testing Institute, which are expected to be completed and begin phased operation next year.

The first edition of the Hong Kong Chinese Medicine Cultural Festival will also be organized to promote the culture of CM in collaboration with the industry.