In order to strengthen district-based primary healthcare services, the Government has been setting up District Health Centres (DHCs) across Hong Kong. DHCs provide a variety of primary healthcare services through a multidisciplinary care approach, including health promotion, disease prevention, chronic disease management and community rehabilitation. The latest addition is the Sham Shui Po DHC at Shek Kip Mei Estate, with St James' Settlement as the DHC operator. I attended the official opening ceremony on 18th October 2021. I found that the Sham Shui Po DHC was quite easy to get to, and very much accessible via public transport. A briefing and guided tour around the DHC were arranged for the participants. I would like to appeal to family doctors in Shum Shui Po and surrounding areas to consider joining the DHC’s network of doctors to make use of the services and the facilities for helping the patients in need.

You may have noticed that the HKCFP-HKU Primary Care Morbidity Survey in Hong Kong has been ongoing since it was commenced earlier this year.

This current morbidity survey is the third of its kind contributing valuable research data to inform primary health care resource allocation and priorities, service planning, and educational curricula for medical and health care students. We highly encourage all doctors in active clinical primary care practice to help and participate in this meaningful project which is fully supported by our College. Participating doctors would be requested to record brief information for patient encounters on a standardised form during a designated week in each season of the year, with a minimum of 1 week participation. Gift certificate, CPD and CME credits are available for the participating doctors on fulfilling the relevant criteria. For more details, please refer to the relevant page of our College website (Please Click) Making reference to experts' recommendations, the Government has announced that eligible persons who are immunocompromised and people with a higher risk of infection, including elderly people aged 60 or above and persons with chronic illnesses, can receive a third dose of a COVID-19 vaccine free of charge starting from 11th November. People can choose to take the Sinovac vaccine or the Fosun/BioNTech vaccine according to their own situations. More details of the third-dose COVID-19 vaccination arrangements are posted at the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme website (Please Click). 

A quick reminder that the 23rd World Conference of Family Doctors (WONCA World Conference) will take place online from 22nd – 27th November 2021. (Please Click) The Scientific Programme is very rich and highly relevant to family medicine practice across the globe. For example, the Plenary Lectures include topics on Role of Family Doctors in Times of Conflicts and Natural Disasters, Planetary Health, Artificial Intelligence and Digital Health, Human Resources in Primary Care, and Communication. Please mark your diary if you have not done so.

I attended the WONCA Asia Pacific Regional Council Meeting 2021 with Dr. Lau Ho Lim recently. It was chaired by incoming President A/Prof. Mohammad Husni Jamal who succeeded Prof. Lee Meng- Chih. Dr. Kaviyarasan Sailin was elected Honorary Secretary while Dr. Brian Chang was elected as Honorary Treasurer. Newly elected Members-at- Large included Dr. Aileen Riek Espina, Dr. Tin Myo Han, Dr. Yang Hua and Dr. Frank Jones. Dr. Wong Ping Foo was elected Chair of The Rajakumar Movement. Congratulations to them all! 

The Hong Kong Academy of Medicine is organising a full afternoon of annual events on 17th December 2021 starting from 2:30pm, including the Best Original Research by Trainees (BORT) competition, the Annual General Meeting, and the Annual Fellowship Conferment Ceremony and David Todd Oration. Please do come and support these annual events.