The 35th Fellowship Conferment and Diploma Presentation Ceremony and the 32nd Dr. Sun Yat Sen Oration of the Hong Kong College of Family Physicians was held at the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine Jockey Club Building on 14 August 2022. We are thankful that Adjunct Prof. Karen Price, the President of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, has delivered her welcome speech online during the Ceremony. Many a times, Prof. Price has reiterated RACGP’s strong support towards further strengthening the collaborations between our two Colleges, in enhancing the quality of Family Medicine training and assessment in Australia and in Hong Kong. And we look forward to working closely with the RACGP in the years to come. I would like to congratulate our new Honorary Fellow, Conjoint Fellows, successful candidates of the Exit Examination and Diplomates of Family Medicine as the Conferment Ceremony is a very special occasion to recognise their hard work and dedications over the years and to celebrate their great achievements. There were over two hundred participants attending this year’s Conferment Ceremony. 

As the issues relating to population ageing are mounting, the healthcare burden of degenerative conditions is also on the rise. And Osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee is a common encounter in primary care practice. The Hong Kong College of Orthopaedic Surgeons recently issued a position statement on the management of Osteoarthritis of the knee. (Please Click) The statement has put forward various aspects of management of the condition, from non-surgical interventions which include non-pharmaceutical management and pharmaceutical management, to surgical interventions. It provides a timely and succinct reference for clinicians who would be managing patients affected by this degenerative condition. 
In response to the recent resurgence of the COVID-19 fifth wave cases, the Tele-health Hub of Hospital Authority (HA) has been upgraded to provide tele-consultation service which has gone live since July 2022. This new mode of service has been integrated into HA Designated Clinics system serving COVID-19 confirmed patients via HAGo. It provides an alternative to the traditional face-to-face consultation service aiming at relieving the anticipated rise in service demand due to the rebound of cases seen recently. Patients seeking the new tele-consultation service should be clinically stable with mild or minimal symptoms.

The Centre of Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health has reported that the World Health Organisation (WHO) had declared the multi-country/place monkeypox outbreak as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern in July 2022. (Please Click) Monkeypox is caused by the monkeypox virus. It could be spread to humans through infected animals, infected humans, or contaminated materials. In previous monkeypox outbreaks, the case fatality has been between 1-10%. In addition, the CHP has also appealed for vigilance against Malaria after a surge of imported cases has been recorded within the recent month. (Please Click) Malaria is caused by a group of Malaria parasites commonly found in tropical and sub-tropical cares. Transmission is via a female anopheline mosquito that gets infected by biting an infected person. It then passes on the disease when it bites another person. Malaria could also be transmitted through contaminated blood or blood products. The WHO advises people travelling to malaria-endemic places to have chemoprophylaxis.

In celebration of the 45th Anniversary of our College, we have ordered a set of surgical masks with College logos. For your advanced information, these masks would be sent out to College members in September. Happy 45th birthday to HKCFP!

Please keep well and stay safe.