March 2013

Annual Subscriptions

Demand notes for the 2013 subscriptions have been sent to Fellows. Please settle your subscription as soon as possible.

Reminder:

1. All payments must be received by the Academy before 30 September 2013. According to Bylaw 6.4:

If a member's fee or any other moneys due by a member to the Academy is not received by the Academy within 9 months after such payment falls due, despite two written reminders by the Academy to pay, the member shall automatically forfeit his membership.

2. It is Council's policy that late subscriptions received by the Academy after 30 June will be subject to a surcharge of 5% on the subscription amount.
3. For Fellows who have authorized payment via bank transfer / credit card, payments will be deducted from their bank accounts or credit card automatically.
4. Fellows aged over 70, or have reached 70 before the beginning of the next subscription year, do not need to pay any subscription and will not receive a debit note.
5. Fellows residing outside Hong Kong or have reached the age of 65 and have retired from all remunerative practice/job/business must submit written applications for reduced rates before 31 December if they wish to enjoy the reduced rates next year. For details, please visit http://www.icmecpd.hk/whatsnew/FellowDocument/Reduced_Rate.pdf

Environmental Protection Department's New Air Quality Health Index

The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) informed the Academy that it plans to replace the existing Air Pollution Index (API) system with a new Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) system tentative in summer 2013, to better communicate to the public the health risks of air pollution and associated precautionary measures. The AQHI system, developed by a study team of local experts on public health and atmospheric science, is a health based system which reports the aggregated increase in hospital admission risks of the key air pollutants in a timely manner.

The Academy was requested by EPD to give its views on the new AQHI system. After some discussion, Council decided to respond with the following statement:

The Hong Kong Academy of Medicine welcomes the Environmental Protection Department's continuing efforts in seeking to improve risk communication with the public on the health hazards of air pollution. As medical and dental specialists, we support systems that are grounded in the best available evidence, more clearly articulate the health risks of poor air quality and provide more timely advice on associated precautionary measures, so that individuals can make informed decisions about potential mitigation measures.

HKAM Representation

The Academy Council has nominated Fellows to various Government departments and other organisations to represent the Academy upon request from time to time. Below is the latest updated list.

Council Dinner in February

The Council invited four guests from the Department of Health & one guest from the Centre for Food Safety to attend the dinner after the Council Meeting on 21st February 2013.

Dr. Constance Chan, Director of Health; Dr. Cindy Lai, the Deputy Director of Health; Dr. T.H. Leung, Controller, Centre for Health Protection; Dr. Joseph Chan, Consultant in-charge Dental Services; and Dr. Gloria Tam, Controller, Centre for Food Safety attended the dinner with 22 Council Members that night. The Academy has always been working closely with the Department of Health. Recently in 2011, the Academy and its 15 Colleges' representatives attended the signing ceremony to adopt a Charter of Tobacco Control in order to pledge support for the move. Representatives were nominated to various working groups under the steering committee chaired by the Secretary for Food and Health. Earlier this year, the Academy, College of Community Medicine, College of Family Physicians and the College of Paediatricians supported the Department of Health in producing a joint statement poster with recommendations to parents in response to the concerns in the community on the supply of formula milk. The Academy has also nominated representatives to attend meetings held by the Department of Health when they needed to professional medical opinions. The Academy will continue to collaborate with the Department of Health in future.

Spring Luncheon with the Media on 25 February 2013

The Academy organized a Spring Luncheon with the media on 25 February 2013 to introduce the new Officers and College Presidents/representatives to the media. A number of ways to strengthen ties with the media were also announced, such as the setting-up of a media hotline and building of a network for faster response to enquiries. During the luncheon, Dr. Donald Li, President of the Academy; Prof. TF Fok and Prof. CS Lau, the two Vice-Presidents; Dr. CL Law, Chairman of the Public Relations Committee; Dr. Ares Leung from the College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists; Prof. Lau Yu Lung from the College of Paediatricians; Dr. Annette Tso from the College of Physicians; and Dr. Daniel Lee from the College of Surgeons were invited to speak on topics related to exaggerated commercials and misleading advertisements, with the aim of providing some useful information and expert advice to the public through the media on how to interpret the claims made by companies on different kinds of products like formula milk, health food, diet pills, as well as various treatments like skin rejuvenation treatment, stem cells treatment etc. The lunch was well attended by 37 members from the press, and there were 17 related media coverage the following day.

National Qualification Examination in the Mainland

Under the CEPA arrangements, registered doctors in Hong Kong who are permanent Hong Kong residents are eligible to apply to take the National Qualification Examination in the Mainland (國家醫師資格考試). The Medical Council would like to enlist your institution’s assistance in disseminating the application details to members of your institution who may be interested in sitting for the examination in 2013.

Application to sit for the 2013 Nation Qualification Examination are now called for by the National Medical Examination Center of the People's Republic of China. All applicants for this year's examination are required to submit their application online. Details and the application form are available on the website of the National Medical Examination Center at http://www.nmec.org.cn. The closing date is 15 March 2013. Applicants who have already submitted their applications online before the closing date are required to submit the supporting documents in person to the Medical Council Secretariat for vetting and onward submission to the National Medical Examination Center on or before 26 March 2013.

General information on the National Qualification Examination is available on the websites of the National Medical Examination Center at www.nmec.org.cn and the Ministry of Health of the People's Republic of China at www.moh.gov.cn respectively. Applicants may also visit the website of the Medical Council of Hong Kong for the guidance in completing the application form online. For enquiries, please contact the secretariat of the Licentiate Committee of the Medical Council at 2873 4742 or by email at [email protected].

Expert Witness Training Course

The Academy of Experts (AoE) will run several Expert Witness Training Courses in Hong Kong in March. The HKAM Council has agreed to be supporting organization for this course. HKAM fellows will enjoy AoE member rates. Interested Fellows can download the Course Information and Registration Form here.

All registration should be sent directly to the organiser at fax: 3010 1269 (HK number). For enquiry, please email directly to the Academy of Experts at [email protected].

HKAM 20th Anniversary The Academy is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. A 20th Anniversary Congress will be held on 8-10 December 2013 to celebrate the occasion. The theme will be "Manpower needs in medicine: moving with the times" The HKSAR Chief Executive, Mr. CY Leung, has accepted to be the Guest of Honour for the Opening. The scientific programme is being worked out and would be published in due course. Please visit the 20th Anniversary Congress website for updated information: http://www.hkam.org.hk/20anniv

2nd AMM-AMS-HKAM Tripartite Congress / 47th Singapore-Malaysia Congress of Medicine

The 2nd AMM-AMS-HKAM Tripartite Congress and 47th SMCM will be held in Singapore on 23-24 August 2013. The three Academies in Hong Kong (HKAM), Malaysia (AMM) and Singapore (AMS) agreed to have tripartite congress in every three years starting from 2010. The first tripartite congress was hosted by HKAM and successfully held in Hong Kong in 2010. The theme of the 2nd Tripartite Congress, to be hosted by AMS, will be "The New Reality in Medicine - Caring for Patients with Multiple Co-Morbidites" For details of the congress, please visit the congress website at http://www.smcm-ams.com/index.html.

First Announcement

Hong Kong College of Pathologists - Topical Update The College of Pathologists has released a new issue of Topical Update. Its title is Laboratory Testing For Anti-NMDAR In Autoimmune Encephalitis: The HSSA- Pathology Queensland Experience by Bob Wilson, Kerri Prain, David Gillis and Richard Wong. Interested Fellows please click the link below to view the document. Topical Update

Scientific Seminar "The Added Challenges of Bone Metastases Treatment in Elderly Patients" Hong Kong College of Radiologists will organise a Scientific Seminar “The Added Challenges of Bone Metastases Treatment in Elderly Patients” on 15 March 2013 (Friday) at Lecture Theatre, 12/F, Block R, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, 30 Gascoigne Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR. Please click the following link for detailed information. Announcement Please contact the College for enquiries: [email protected]

9th CT Coronary Angiography Teaching Course 2013 - Intermediate and Advanced Level, 30-31 March 2013 Hong Kong College of Radiologists will organise the 9th CT Coronary Angiography Teaching Course 2013 - Intermediate and Advanced Level on 30-31 March 2013 (Saturday & Sunday) at Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital, Chai Wan, Hong Kong SAR. Please click the following links for detailed information. Announcement & Registration Form Please visit the following website for registration and updated information: http://www.cardiaccttc.com.sg/

The 3rd IDKD (An Interactive Course in Diagnostic Imaging) Intensive Course in Hong Kong, 9-12 May 2013 The 3rd IDKD Intensive Course in Hong Kong will be held on 9-12 May 2013 at Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre. Hong Kong College of Radiologists (HKCR) is honoured to co-organize this event, together with The University of Hong Kong. Registrations are accepted online at www.idkd.org starting 1 November 2012 Please click the following links for detailed information. The Flyer Registration Please refer to the website at www.idkd.org for updated meeting programme and information.

Lymphoma Conference, 6-7 April 2013, Hong Kong Academy of Medicine Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital (HKS&H) will co-host the Lymphoma Conference with University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) on 6-7 April 2013 at Hong Kong Academy of Medicine. The conference will provide timely topics that cover monoclonal antibody therapy and other novel agents, PET/CT imaging, FISH and molecular testing, FNA, chromosome analysis, evaluation of splenomegaly, immunodeficiency related lymphoma and multiparametric immmunophenotyping. Lymphoma Conference will appeal to a broad range of medical professionals including physicians, pediatricians, pathologists, radiologists, scientists and technologists in Hong Kong and Mainland China. For more details, please contact secretariat at email: [email protected] or telephone: 2871 8896. For registration, please click here.

17th FIGIJ World Congress on Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology The 17th FIGIJ World Congress on Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology (17th FIGIJ World Congress on PAG) will be held on 15-17 March 2013 at the Postgraduate Education Center of Prince of Wales Hospital, the Chinese University of Hong Kong. The theme of this Congress is Discovering more in PAG. The Academy is one of the supporting organizations. Details of the Congress can be found at http://pag.obg.cuhk.edu.hk/congress Flyer

Announcements from the Drug Office, Drug Registration and Import / Export Control Division Please note the following announcements from the Drug Office of Department of Health: Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis and Stevens-Johnson Syndrome Reported with MabThera (Rituximab) Macau announced a news about the safety information of the ibuprofen-containing product "Children's Motrin"

Hong Kong Medical Journal February 2013 issue is now available on the Journal's website <http://www.hkmj.org>. Highlights of this issue include:

ORIGINAL ARTICLES

• Acute kidney injury in the paediatric intensive care unit: identification by modified RIFLE criteria
• Patient perception and knowledge on total joint replacement surgery

CASE REPORT

• Strongyloidiasis in a nonagenarian who previously worked in conservancy services

Online CME/CPD

Quizzes from the following Colleges are currently available at iCMECPD website for Fellows to study online for CME/CPD:

Please visit the CMe-Learning of iCMECPD website (www.icmecpd.hk) for the latest CME/CPD materials.

Upcoming Conferences / Symposia / Courses