Secretary for Health Prof Lo Chung-mau arrived in Nanjing this afternoon to meet Commissioner of the Jiangsu Commission of Health Tan Ying and visit the Simcere Pharmaceutical Group.

Prof Lo introduced Ms Tan to the efforts made by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government in promoting the international inheritance and innovation of Chinese medicine, and the high-quality development of public hospitals.

He noted that Jiangsu and Hong Kong have established a solid foundation in Chinese medicine academic inheritance and talent exchange.

Prof Lo highlighted that by the end of this year, two flagship projects - the Chinese Medicine Hospital of Hong Kong and the permanent building for the Government Chinese Medicines Testing Institute - will provide services in phases.

This will further strengthen the co-operation between the two places in the areas of Chinese medicine services, talent development and testing research, he added.

On the high-quality development of public hospitals, Prof Lo emphasised that the Hong Kong SAR Government will continue to promote the accreditation of more public hospitals under “China’s International Hospital Accreditation Standards (2021 Version)”, with a view to maintaining the high standard of hospital management and services in Hong Kong while aligning with the national healthcare service system.

Both sides also explored ways to further encourage more hospitals in the two places to pursue accreditation under the relevant standards to amplify the impact of national standards.

At the Simcere Pharmaceutical Group, which is headquartered in Nanjing, Prof Lo briefed the company’s senior management on the Hong Kong SAR Government’s initiatives in developing the city into an international health and medical innovation hub.

Such initiatives include strengthening the approval regimes for drugs and medical devices as well as promoting the clinical trial industry’s development.

The health chief welcomed Mainland pharmaceutical companies to conduct clinical trials in Hong Kong, fully leveraging the multiple unique advantages of the Hong Kong SAR to facilitate the translation and clinical application of advanced biomedical technologies.