The Hong Kong Academy of Medicine (HKAM) held a media tea reception on 3 February 2023 to celebrate the Chinese New Year and to share the Academy’s latest developments and plans with media guests. It was commenced by Prof. Gilberto Ka-Kit Leung, the President of the Academy, highlighting the various ways that the HKAM has been actively supporting the development of Hong Kong’s healthcare system and implementing measures to help alleviate the challenge of manpower shortage. After that it was my turn as the President of the Hong Kong College of Family Physicians (HKCFP) to share on the training perspectives of family doctors in relation to the Government’s recent launching of the Primary Healthcare Blueprint. I reiterated that “Family Doctors for All” can achieve multiple functions. Family Doctors, as “specialists in people”, provide accessible continuing comprehensive whole-person patient-centred care to people of all ages throughout the different stages in life (“from cradle to grave”), helping individuals and families to manage acute and chronic problems, providing anticipatory and preventive care, and coordinating multi-disciplinary care for people according to their needs throughout their life journey. With a population of 7.5 million, Hong Kong needs at least 3,750 trained family doctors to maintain a quality primary healthcare system based on the ratio of family doctors to population in China (1 : 2,000). Assuming 40 years of service for each family doctor, we would need to train at least 100 family doctors per year to provide sustainable healthcare services. To complement the roll-out of the Primary Healthcare Blueprint, the HKCFP continues to provide various training and continuing medical education programmes to assist family doctors in primary care in maintaining and improving their knowledge and standards. Dr. Fei-chau Pang, the President of Hong Kong College of Community Medicine, shared that the Primary Healthcare Blueprint is a prevention-focused, community-based system that promotes the concept of ‘family doctor for all’ and enhances primary healthcare services. The reception was concluded by an interactive questions and answers session. 

The control of cannabidiol (CBD) as a dangerous drug under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance (DDO) (Cap. 134) has come into effect on 1 February, 2023. (Please Click) Trafficking and sales of substances in contravention of the law will be subject to a maximum penalty of life imprisonment and a fine of $5 million. Possession and consumption of substances in contravention of the DDO will be punishable by a maximum penalty of seven years’ imprisonment and a fine of $1 million. (Please Click) CBD comes from cannabis plants. Cannabis has tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is a strictly controlled dangerous drug and can lead to hallucinations, addiction, depression, etc., and even psychosis. According to the experts, it is difficult to isolate pure CBD from cannabis. However, CBD products contain trace amounts of THC, which can be harmful. CBD can also naturally decompose into THC under normal storage conditions, and it can be used to produce THC. 

The 13th Hong Kong Primary Care Conference (HKPCC) will be held from 23 to 25, June 2023. The theme of this year’s conference is “Flourishing Primary Care: Family Doctor for Everyone”. Our HKCFP annual conference will continue to offer an exciting and diverse programme comprising plenary sessions, seminars, workshops and discussion forums. You are cordially invited to submit abstracts to our clinical case competition as well as full research paper and free paper competitions. Please mark your diaries and we look forward to welcoming you to the HKPCC 2023!