May 2004

Free Trial of eKG at the Academy Library

The Hospital Authority has kindly offered free trial of their electronic Knowledge Gateway (eKG) at the Academy Library for a period of 3 months, starting from 1 June 2004. Fellows can access to the eKG via Internet at the library on 3/F of the Academy Building free of charge. The Academy Library opens from 12:00 to 21:00 from Mondays to Saturdays; and from 9:00 to 21:00 on Sundays and public holidays. Please click below to see more details of the eKG.

Wine Tasting at Academy Lounge

A wine tasting will be held from 4-6 pm on 15 May 2004 (Saturday) at the Academy Lounge. It is free but registration is required, on first-come-first-serve basis. Please click below for more details. Fellows can also order wines at discounted prices.

Wine Tasting

Wine Order Form

Two new cocktails and wines of the month will be served at the Lounge in May.

Cocktails of the Month

Wine of the Month

38^th Singapore-Malaysia Congress of Medicine, 19-22 August 2004

The 38^th Singapore-Malaysia Congress of Medicine will be held at the Meritus Mandarin Singapore from 19^th to 22^nd August. Theme of the Congress is CPD and Professionalism: The Next Lap. The Hong Kong Academy of Medicine is a participating organisation for this year’s congress. For registration and programme details, please contact the Academy of Medicine, Singapore.

Academy of Medicine, Singapore

142 Neil Road

Runme Shaw Building

Singapore 088871

Tel : (65) 6223 8968

Fax : (65) 6225 5155

Email : [email protected]

Website: www.academyofmedicine.edu.sg

Public Private Interface Programme – Shared Diabetes Mellitus Care

The Cluster Chief Executive of NTE Cluster, Hospital Authority has requested the Academy to help disseminate the following message to Fellows.

A Shared Care Programme in Diabetes mellitus will soon be launched by the following departments of Hospital in NT East Cluster:

Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, Prince of Wales Hospital
Department of Medicine, Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital
Department of Medicine, North District Hospital
Family Medicine Centres, NT East Cluster.

By means of a two-way referral system, the Programme provides collaborative opportunities between doctors in the public and private sectors in the delivery of care to diabetic patients. In support of the Programme, an information system has been specially developed by the NT East Cluster, facilitating medical records of patients who opt to join the scheme to be transferred from the HA Database to a protected site in the Internet for access by participating private doctors.

Information of the Programme, including terms and conditions of private doctors’ participation, as well as application form, can be accessed from the Programme website: http://www.pwh.org.hk/ppissdmcp. Physicians/Family Physicians in the private sector who are interested in participating in the Programme are invited to visit the website and register for participation.

Synchronization of CME Cycle

As reported previously, Council has decided that all Fellows would start their CME cycle afresh on 1 January 2005, so as to synchronize with the duration of practising certificate following the decision of Medical Council of Hong Kong to make CME a requirement for practising doctors. In order to achieve this end, CME cycles started within 3 years before 1 January 2005 will have to be counted on a pro-rata basis. This means that if one’s CME cycle length before 1 January 2005 is 1.5 years, he/she shall need to gain 45 CME points before 1 January 2005. To facilitate Fellows in fulfilling the CME requirements prior to that date, Council has approved the following one-off arrangements proposed by some Colleges for the purpose of synchronization. Please contact your College if you have queries.

a) If the duration of a cycle immediately before 1 January 2005 is 6 months or less, the cycle could be combined to the previous cycle, and the point requirement would be adjusted on a pro-rata basis;

b) Colleges could consider adjusting the point capping for certain CME category if necessary, subject to formal endorsement by Education Committee.

Revised Guidelines and Principles on CME & CPD

Following Council’s direction to move forward to Continuous Professional Development (CPD), the Education Committee has revised the existing Guidelines. The move aims to provide Fellows with flexible and wider choices of learning, rather to set more restrictions. The new set of guidelines was approved by Council at its April meeting. A copy of the new Guidelines will be sent with the summer issue of AcademyFocus to all Fellows.

Principles and Guidelines on CME & CPD

Academy Lounge

To celebrate the 1st anniversary of its opening and the success in finally obtaining a Liquor Licence, the Academy Lounge is offering a $100 coupon to every Academy Fellow. The coupon has been sent to all Fellows together with the Spring issue of the AcademyFocus.

Medical Library System of The University of Hong Kong

Accessible at the Academy Library

The Academy has made arrangement with the University of Hong Kong to allow Academy Fellows to access their Medical Library System via Internet at the Academy Library for a trial period of 3 months, from 1 April to 30 June 2004. During this period, Fellows can use the three designated computers at the Academy Library on 3/F to access the electronic information and digital medical resources of the University medical library system free of charge.

Fellows utilizing the facility are requested to complete a simple questionnaire per unit use. Information collected from the questionnaires will be used by the Academy to assess the related need of Fellows, and to determine if such service will continue in the future. The Academy Library opens from 12:00 to 21:00 from Mondays to Saturdays; and from 9:00 to 21:00 on Sundays and public holidays.

Extraordinary General Meeting

An EGM will be held at 7:00 pm on 20 May 2004 (Thursday) at the Council Chamber, 10/F, HKAM Jockey Club Building, 99 Wong Chuk Hang Road, Aberdeen, Hong Kong to admit new Fellows.

2004 Annual Subscriptions

Fellows are reminded that their 2004 Annual Subscriptions are due on 1 January 2004. Fellows should receive a demand note from either the Academy or their College. Please be reminded that it is Council's policy that subscriptions received by the Academy after 30 June 2004 will be subject to a surcharge of 5% on the subscription amount. Please settle your subscription as soon as possible.

Reminder on Renewal of Annual Practising/Retention Certificate for the Year 2004

Under the Medical Registration Ordinance, it is necessary for all registered medical practitioners, irrespective of whether they are in private practice or public service, to apply for renewal of their annual practising/retention certificates on 1 January each year. Any medical practitioner who has not done so this year should send in his/her application together with the prescribed payment to the Registrar of Medical Practitioners at 17/F., Wu Chung House, 213 Queen’s Road East, Wanchai, Hong Kong (tel: 2961 8648/2961 8655).

The current prescribed fees are $420 for a practising certificate and $290 for a retention certificate. All cheques should be crossed and made payable to “The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region”.

Please note that the Medical Council may order the name of any registered medical practitioner to be removed from the General Register if the practitioner concerned has failed to apply for his/her annual practising/retention certificate before 30 June of a year. His/her name will simultaneously be removed from the Specialist Register if he/she has been registered as a “specialist”.