Health chief attends WHO meeting
Secretary for Health Prof Lo Chung-mau (second left) meets National Health Commission Vice-minister Cao Xuetao (third left) and Ambassador Extraordinary & Plenipotentiary, Permanent Representative of the People’s Republic of China to the United Nations Office at Geneva and other International Organizations in Switzerland Chen Xu (third right).
Prof Lo (fourth right), Dr Lam (fourth left) and other Hong Kong representatives attend the assembly in Geneva as members of the Chinese delegation.
Prof Lo (left) meets WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific Dr Saia Ma’u Piukala at the assembly.
Secretary for Health Prof Lo Chung-mau took part in the 77th World Health Assembly of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, Switzerland, yesterday.
The theme of this year's assembly is "All for Health, Health for All" and Prof Lo and Director of Health Dr Ronald Lam attended the gathering as members of the Chinese delegation .
The discussions during the event cover a wide range of issues, including universal health coverage, infection prevention and control, International Health Regulations, antimicrobial resistance, prevention and control of non-communicable diseases, health promotion and the WHO's preparedness and response to public health emergencies.
In addition to attending the plenary session, Prof Lo and Dr Lam participated in a thematic side meeting co-organised by the National Health Commission (NHC) and health authorities of South Africa and the United Arab Emirates on integrated health services.
NHC Vice-minister Cao Xuetao delivered a speech at the side meeting which was chaired by Dean of the Vanke School of Public Health of the Tsinghua University Margaret Chan. Prof Lo and Dr Lam had in-depth discussions and exchanges with participants on people-centred primary healthcare services.
Prof Lo pointed out that WHO experts and representatives from different countries shared their views on promoting primary healthcare at the side meeting.
He agreed that while different countries and places have different strategies in the process of developing primary healthcare, their ultimate goal is to achieve universal health coverage.
“The side meeting discussions have provided insights for us to promote primary healthcare development and implement the Primary Healthcare Blueprint in Hong Kong,” Prof Lo said.
After arriving in Geneva the day before yesterday, Prof Lo and Dr Lam met Mr Cao and Chen Xu, Ambassador Extraordinary & Plenipotentiary, Permanent Representative of the People's Republic of China to the United Nations Office at Geneva and other International Organizations in Switzerland.
They talked about the latest healthcare developments of the Mainland and Hong Kong, and Hong Kong's participation in WHO-related work.
Prof Lo and Dr Lam will continue to attend the assembly today.