Dr. York Chow, Mr. Anthony Wu, Dr. PY Leung, Prof of Herman Goossens, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen:
First of all, I would like to welcome all of you to the Ceremony of Celebration on World Health Day 2011, jointly organized by the Department of Health and Hospital Authority. Today is a remarkable day for Hong Kong to celebrate the achievements under the leadership of the World Health Organization (WHO) in combating against antimicrobial resistance. Since the WHO Global Strategy for Containment of Antimicrobial Resistance was published in 2001, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government (HKSARG) has been working diligently and enthusiastically to tackle this public health issue. We are here today to demonstrate to the world Hong Kong’s commitment to this important WHO initiative. Hong Kong has all along been a keen supporter of WHO global health promotion initiatives and combating antimicrobial resistance is no exception. We are pleased that our efforts are being recognised. We are greatly privileged to have Dr Margaret Chan, Director-General of WHO, Ms Laurette Onkelinx, Minister of Health and Social Affairs, Belgium, Prof Didier Pittet, Lead of WHO First Global Patient Safety Challenge congratulating us on our achievements in this Ceremony. We always cherish our close relationship with WHO global initiatives in Patient Safety. What we have achieved nowadays and what we are going to accomplish in the future all rely on the concerted efforts of different parties across the healthcare sectors. Among the stakeholders, due credit should be given to the Chairman and members of Scientific Committee on Infection Control (SCIC) and its Working Group, the Health Protection Programme on Antimicrobial Resistance (HPPAR), as well as experts and representatives from the Government, Hospital Authority, medical associations and private hospitals. We are privileged to have them joining us today to celebrate our achievements at the ceremony.
Besides, our joy of celebration is complemented by the presence of our partners from different government departments, public and private hospitals, professional associations and the academia. Their invaluable dedication and contribution have enabled us to survive this daunting challenge. They are the ones to be praised and honoured. We are happy to have Dr York Chow, Secretary for Food and Health, sharing with us Hong Kong’s experience in preventing and tackling the emergence of antimicrobial resistance. With all we have achieved, there is no room for complacency since we know the challenge that lies ahead is evolving all the time.
Furthermore, we have to assure sustainability of our efforts at all points of health care. To this, I appeal to the support of all our old and new partners in health care, from acute care to long-term care, from policy making to frontline health service workers to work closely to promote safe use of antibiotics and encourage good infection control practices. Among them, hand hygiene is the most important and effective tool in our armamentarium. Definitely, Hong Kong is no alone in facing this seemingly insurmountable challenge. We are much honoured to have a world renowned expert, Prof Herman Goossens from the University of Antwerp, Belgium, to enlighten us on the latest international developments in evidence-based infection control practices and patient safety.
Finally, I would like to thank you all for joining us today and hope you enjoy the ceremony. Thank you very much.