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Message from the President, Prof. Raymond Liang, February 2012
Dear Fellows, It seems that the Year of the Dragon is going to be very challenging. Most people are not too optimistic about the economy. However, our Government still has a very handsome surplus, for this year at least. Our Financial Secretary has announced the 2012 Annual Budget, which entails support for redevelopment projects at Queen Mary Hospital and Kwong Wah Hospital. We all welcome this decisive move. I am also very pleased that he has decided to inject a good sum of money into the Samaritan Fund to support the unmet need of the patients, mostly those suffering from cancers requiring the use of expensive new drugs. The Year of Dragon is also going to be a year of change. Hong Kong SAR will have a new Chief Executive and new Legislative Council. Thus, uncertainty has become a rule. What are the challenges facing the medical profession today? The issue of medical manpower in our public hospital system is going to stay for a few more years, until the recent increase in local medical student intake takes effect. For the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine, we must stand firm on the standards of training. Our specialist training has been relying heavily on our partnership with the Hospital Authority. Every effort must be made to ensure that this training ground is safe and adequate, so that we continue to train medical specialists of the highest possible quality for Hong Kong. The profession must continue our great tradition of passing knowledge and skills from one generation to the next. The new generation of medical specialists must be competent to provide the best possible care to our patients. Wishing you all a blessed Year of the Dragon!
Professor Raymond Liang |
