July has been off to a great start with our Censor and past President of WONCA Dr. Donald Li being awarded the Gold Bauhinia Star by the Chief Executive of Hong Kong SAR in recognition of his longstanding public service and exemplary contributions to primary healthcare development in Hong Kong. Many Congratulations to Dr. Li!

The Hong Kong College of Family Physicians’ 37th Fellowship Conferment and Diploma Presentation Ceremony, and the 34th Dr. Sun Yat Sen Oration have been held on 7th July 2024 at the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine Building. This year, I have the great honour again of welcoming the President of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners Dr. Nicole Higgins, who has travelled all the way from Queensland, Australia to join our Conjoint Fellowship Conferment Ceremony and Dr. Sun Yat Sen Oration, and the Hong Kong Primary Care Conference (HKPCC) 2024.

The Hong Kong College of Family Physicians (HKCFP) and the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) have been collaborating since 1986 on training, education and assessments of our Fellows and Members. Over the last two years, I am very grateful for the tremendous opportunities to discuss, share, and exchange ideas with Dr. Higgins on means to further enhance the roles of Family Medicine/general practice in our localities. On behalf of our the RACGP and HKCFP, Dr. Higgins and I have agreed on further strengthening the collaborations between our two Colleges, especially in enhancing the quality of Family Medicine education, training and assessment, and primary care research. We have signed a Joint Statement on 7th July 2024 to that effect. Once again, I would like to express our heartfelt thanks to Dr. Higgins and the RACGP for their collegiality and continuing support.

We are honoured to have Dr. Christopher Hughes as our 34th Dr. Sun Yat Sen Orator delivering his Oration entitled “Universal Health Insurance: Born with the best of intentions but now facing a mid-life crisis”. Dr. Hughes is the Tasmanian State Censor of the RACGP and also a long term friend of our College. He has been helping us as one of the RACGP External Examiners in the Conjoint Fellowship Examinations as well as a member of the RACGP Accreditation Team. In recognition of his contributions and support towards our College’s accreditation, training and examination, Dr. Hughes has been awarded honorary Fellowship of the HKCFP in 2024.

We are also grateful that Dr. Mark Miller, our honorary Fellow and 31st Dr. Sun Yat Sen Orator, who delivered his Oration online during COVID-19 in 2021, has come to join our Conferment Ceremony this year. And we took this opportunity to present him the Orator medallion too.

Once again, I would like to congratulate our new Conjoint Fellows, successful candidates of the Exit Examination and Diplomates of Family Medicine for their great achievements as their hard work and dedications over the years have been duly recognised and their awards are truly well-deserved. We must also thank the family members who have provided support to all the successful candidates unconditionally.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the ongoing support by the Government in the further development of primary care services and training; WONCA and colleagues from around the globe for the friendship and promotion of Family Medicine; the Universities for Family Medicine education, research and development; and the Hospital Authority, the training centres in the private sector, the Academy of Medicine and sister Colleges for supporting our Family Medicine vocational training.

Over the years, the HKPCC has been an important annual scientific event for clinicians, nurses, and allied health professionals, to share their experiences and insights, on how we can further enhance the primary care service delivery and primary care research for the benefits of our patients in the community. The HKPCC 2024 which took place from 5th to 7th July 2024 was no exception as we were privileged to have many renowned local and international experts, family doctors, nurses, allied health professionals, and other primary care providers to share their expertise and experiences with us. The theme of HKPCC was entitled, “Family Medicine in the Community: Strengthening Connections”. The rich scientific programme has been packed with attractive plenaries, including hot topics on Social Medical Collaboration by Dr. Lam Ching-choi, Right Service at the Right Time to the Right Person by Prof. Cindy Lam, Community Mental Health by Prof. Samuel Wong and End of Life Care by Prof. Rodger Charlton. As in the previous years, there were full research paper competition, clinical case competition, e-posters on display, popular workshops on dermatology, family therapy, wound care, and primary care musculoskeletal ultrasound. The HKPCC 2024 has attracted delegates from local and overseas, many thanks again to all your active participation and support! Thanks also to the Organising Committee led by Dr. Lorna Ng and the College secretariat for their unfailing support.

A quick note to say that the WONCA APR Conference 2024 is to take place in Singapore from 21st to 24th August 2024. In addition, the RACGP GP Annual Conference GP24 is to be held from 21st to 23rd November, 2024 at Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre, Western Australia. Registration is now open. Please mark your diaries.