Tung Wah Group of Hospitals

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Inauguration Ceremony of TWGHs Board of Directors 2016/2017
Moving Forward to a Better Future

Established in 1870, Tung Wah Group of Hospitals (“the Group”) has been all along upholding its mission “To heal the sick and to relieve the distressed; to care for the elderly and to rehabilitate the disabled; to promote education and to nurture youngsters; and to raise the infants and to guide the children”. The Inauguration Ceremony of the TWGHs Board of Directors 2016/2017 was held at the Assembly Hall of Tung Wah Hospital on 1 April 2016, with the Hon. LAU Kong Wah, JP, Secretary for Home Affairs officiating at the Ceremony.

The Hon. LAU Kong Wah, JP, Secretary for Home Affairs, presented testimonials to the retiring Board Members and Advisers. He also administered the oath of the 2016/2017 Board Members include, Mrs. Katherine MA, the Chairman, Dr. LEE Yuk Lun, JP, the 1st Vice-Chairman, Mr. Vinci WONG, the 2nd Vice-Chairman, Mr. Sunny TAN, the 3rd Vice-Chairman, Dr. TSOI Wing Sing, Ken, the 4th Vice-Chairman, Ms. Ginny MAN, the 5th Vice-Chairman, as well as Ms. TANG Ming Wai, Mandy, Ms. Renee HUNG, Mr. AU Yu Fan, Gabriel, Ms. FUNG Siu Wan, Stella, Mr. LIU Wai Lun, Jeffrey, Mr. MA Ching Yeung, Philip, Mr. LEE Kwong Yee, Jason Joseph, Mr. YEUNG Ka Shing, Ms. CHIU Yi, Cindy, Mr. TAM Chun Kwok, Kazaf, Mr. WAI Ho Man, Herman, Mr. HO Orlando Yaukai, Ms. CHOI Ka Yee, Crystal and Ms. TSENG Hing Wun, Wendy, the Directors.

Speaking at the Ceremony today, Mrs. Katherine MA, the Chairman addressed TWGHs is going to map out a series of work plans for the enhancement and expansion of the Group’s services to cater the needs of the community. At present, the total number of service centres has increased to 303 with an annual recurrent expenditure, including hospital services, of $8 billion. The Board strives to adopt a prudent financial approach to carry out the new initiatives and enhance the effectiveness to monitor the Groups’ huge operations.

This year, TWGHs continues to enhance medical and health services for comprehensive services to the public. The redevelopment of Kwong Wah Hospital will be carried out later this year. Equal attention will be paid to the five hospitals for expanding and enhancing the services as well as acquisition of advanced medical equipment. Through a number of patient assistance programmes, the Group constantly offers help to patients with financial difficulties to receive treatments. An Endoscopy Centre will soon be established in North Point to fully support the Colorectal Cancer Screening Programme of the Government. Besides, the Group will expand the Well Women Clinic at Tung Wah Eastern Hospital and explore the feasibility of providing one-stop breast cancer screening and follow-up treatments. The Chinese medicine services will be further expanded with Chinese medicine clinics open at district levels to serve the neighbourhood in need. The Group will also further extend heritance of Chinese medicine so as to position itself as the base to foster professional development of Chinese medicine practitioners.

On the education front, TWGHs values all-round development in younger generation and will set up “TWGHs All-rounded Development Fund for Students” this year to provide scholarship or financial support for students with proven potentials in different areas. A team of “Tung Wah Student Ambassadors” with the mission to spread out the benevolence spirits of TWGHs will be nurtured through a course of programmes. The development work of the brand new campus of TWGHs Ma Kam Chan Memorial Primary School has commenced and anticipated to complete in the 3rd quarter of 2017, bringing a better learning environment to the students. Meanwhile, the Board will allocate funding to upgrade school premises and facilities.

Teachers’ professional growth is accorded a high priority in TWGHs. Teacher Award Scheme and Expert Teacher Scheme will be launched this year to recognize teachers’ accomplishments in motivating students to study proactively. To facilitate academic and cultural exchange with Mainland schools, TWGHs schools are encouraged to participate in the “Sister-Schools Scheme”. The Group also comes with innovative ideas this year by actively support information and technology development in education. The Central Electronic Education System Pilot Scheme has been launched to facilitate school management in monitoring school and class attainment, as well as planning for education programme and learning objectives through data management and analysis.

With regard to the community services, the Group is speeding up the preparation for the redevelopment and renovation works for Jockey Club Care and Attention Home for the Elderly and TWGHs Shuen Wan Complex for the Elderly. Focus will be placed to take care of the social and physical well-being of “young old” generation to realize their potential. Recently, the Group have taken steps to promote youth arts as a medium to offer training and performance opportunities to cultivate youth creativity, self-esteem and problem-solving. TWGHs has filed to the Government the land lease application for establishment of Holistic Centre for Youth Development in Wong Tai Sin District. The Centre will accommodate international standard arts and cultural activities, along with the service facilities such as theatre, hostel and work space. The proposal of the Youth Hostel on Hollywood Road has been submitted to Town Planning Board and is currently under review. It is with hope that permission can be received in the near future to alleviate the housing demand among young people.

The Group spares no efforts to promote social inclusion. The social enterprise CookEasy Production Centre will commence operation by mid of this year with expanded capacity to create more training and employment opportunities for people with disabilities. To echo with the Government’s policy in supporting children with special needs, the Group will participate in the “Sunshine Kids: On-site Pre-school Rehabilitation Services” Project to provide rehabilitation services for preschool children. Other than that, the Group will offer more chances for people with different abilities to participate in art programmes by organizing international art conference and art fair for people with intellectual disabilities to explore future directions for art inclusion.

TWGHs are putting much efforts in preserving archives and precious heritage. Following the launch of the archives website, the Group is currently in the process of conceiving the long-term digitalization and conservative plans for archives. The digital files will be uploaded to the web page by phase and online subscription is expected to be available at later stage. Among the archives, Tung Wah Coffin Home Archives of its coffin and bone repatriation services provided for both local and overseas Chinese in the last century are indeed the distinctive, imperative and precious materials for understanding and exploring Hong Kong as a nexus of a global Chinese charity network. The online database is devised to make the repository a platform for research on the history of TWGHs, Hong Kong, modern China and Chinese in the World.

Mrs. Katherine MA, the Chairman, is grateful for the guidance of the Government, as well as the trust and support of the general public. She sincerely hopes that the Government and the public will continue to give TWGHs the strongest support for its further growth and spread out the TWGHs spirit over the community.

[Appendix: “Highlight of Services and Development of TWGHs 2016/2017”]

Since its establishment in 1870, TWGHs has been all along upholding its mission “To heal the sick and to relieve the distressed; to care for the elderly and to rehabilitate the disabled; to promote education and to nurture youngsters; and to raise the infants and to guide the children.” Nowadays, TWGHs has become the largest charitable organization in Hong Kong. For over a hundred years, TWGHs’ medical and health, education and community services have developed rapidly to fulfill the needs of the society and to provide high quality services at low rates. Today, TWGHs operates over 303 services centres, including 5 hospitals and health services and 28 Chinese and Western medicine services centres, 53 education services centres, 215 community services centres that cover elderly, youth and family, rehabilitation and traditional services, whilst the Tung Wah Museum strives to promote, restore and preserve the heritage and relics of TWGHs. TWGHs Archives and Relics Centre has been set up to preserve TWGHs’ valuable cultural assets.

End

Press Enquiry: TWGHs Corporate Communications Branch

Mrs. Katherine MA (front row, right 2), Chairman of Tung Wah Group of Hospitals (2016/2017), and her fellow Members of the Board taking the oath of office.

Mrs. Katherine MA (front row, right 2), Chairman of Tung Wah Group of Hospitals (2016/2017), and her fellow Members of the Board taking the oath of office.

Ms. Maisy HO (left), Chairman of Tung Wah Group of Hospitals (2015/2016), handing over the title deeds and seals to Mrs. Katherine MA (right), Chairman of Tung Wah Group of Hospitals (2016/2017).

Ms. Maisy HO (left), Chairman of Tung Wah Group of Hospitals (2015/2016), handing over the title deeds and seals to Mrs. Katherine MA (right), Chairman of Tung Wah Group of Hospitals (2016/2017).

[Appendix]

Highlight of Services and Development of TWGHs 2016/2017
(I). Medical and Health Services
Hospital Services:1.          Carry out the redevelopment of Kwong Wah Hospital later this year.

2.          Continue to provide funding to the 5 hospitals for their developmental works to expand and enhance the services as well as acquisition of advanced medical equipments.

3.          Launch a number of patient assistance programmes for patients with financial difficulties to receive treatments at TWGHs hospitals, namely “Programme for Chinese Medicine Treatment on Cancer”, “Programme for Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine Services” as well as “Programme for Renal Patients”.

Screening and Diagnostic Services:

4.          Fully support the Colorectal Cancer Screening Programme of the Government by establishing an Endoscopy Centre in North Point.

5.          Expand the Well Women Clinic at Tung Wah Eastern Hospital and explore the feasibility of providing one-stop breast cancer screening and follow-up treatments to relieve patients’ hassles by receiving comprehensive medical care under single medical unit.

Chinese Medicine Services:

6.          Expand Chinese medicine services and plan to open Chinese medicine clinics at district level to provide convenient services for the neighbourhood in need.

7.          Nurture professional Chinese medicine practitioners and further extend heritance of Chinese medicine so as to position the Group as the base to foster professional development of Chinese medicine practitioners.

(II). Education Services
Students:

1.          Set up a “TWGHs All-rounded Development Fund for Students” to provide scholarship or financial support for students with proven potentials in 3 specific areas: “science, technology, engineering and mathematics”, “languages” and “leadership or any gifted areas”.

2.          Nurture a team of “Tung Wah Student Ambassadors” with the mission to spread the benevolence spirits of TWGHs through a course of programmes including joint schools study tours and volunteer work.

3.          Commence a development work of the new campus of TWGHs Ma Kam Chan Primary School. The project is anticipated to be completed in the 3rd quarter of 2017.

4.          Allocate funding to upgrade school premises and facilities for TWGHs Wong Fung Ling College and TWGHs Kap Yan Directors’ College, and feasibility study on school premise revamp for TWGHs Lo Yu Chik Primary School with over 50 years of history.

5.          Participate in the “Sister-Schools Scheme” with Mainland Schools to serve as an effective and convenient platform for broadening students’ horizons as well as enhancing their understanding about the latest development of the Mainland.

Teachers:

1.          Launch the Teacher Award Scheme and Expert Teacher Scheme to recognize teachers’ accomplishments in motivating our students to study proactively.

2.          Actively support information and technology development in education. The Central Electronic Education will be launched to facilitate school management in monitoring school and class attainment, as well as planning for education programme and learning objectives through data management and analysis for students’ performance and teaching statistics.

(III). Community Services

Elderly Services:

1.          Prepare for the redevelopment and renovation works for Jockey Club Care and Attention Home for the Elderly and Tung Wah Group of Hospitals Shuen Wan Complex for the Elderly.

2.          Provide the young old with a wide spectrum of services in helping them realize their potential as well as opportunities to participate in community affairs such that they will be able to continue making valuable contribution to the society and developing the physical, social and mental well-being throughout the last but meaningful stage of life.

3.          Offer screening services in the community to early detect the risk of cognitive impairment and make service referral.

4.          Explore and apply high-tech devices such as therapeutic robot, anti-wandering vest and smart elderly shoes with location tracking system to avoid the risk of cognitive impairment elderly getting lost.

5.          Formulate art, music and dance programmes with non-pharmaceutical interventions for the elders at the service units to help improve their physical, cognitive and psychosocial function.

Youth Services:

6.          Roll out youth empowerment project to train up community art facilitator by providing systematic arts education.

7.          Has filed to the Government land lease application for establishment of Holistic Centre for Youth Development in Wong Tai Sin district. The Centre will accommodate international standard arts and cultural activities as well as service facilities such as theatre, hostel, multi-purpose function room and work space, etc.

8.          Has submitted a proposal to Town Planning Board for the youth hostel on Hollywood Road to alleviate housing demand among young people.

Rehabilitation Services:

9.          The social enterprise CookEasy Production Centre will commence operation by mid of this year with expanded production capacity to create more training and employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

10.      Participate in the “Sunshine Kids: On-site Pre-school Rehabilitation Services” Project so that preschool children on the waiting list can receive suitable rehabilitation services as soon as possible.

11.      Organize international art conference and art fair for people with intellectual disabilities to explore future directions for art inclusion.

(IV). Cultural Conservation and Inheritance1.      In the process of conceiving the long-term digitization and conservation plans for archives.

2.      Process over a thousand letters sent by the overseas Chinese organizations, which carried the humble requests to Tung Wah Coffin Home to provide the bone repatriation services for the deceased overseas Chinese.