Press Releases
Health Promotion Project Expo promotes community's health
Public health has always been a priority of the Government and health promotion
was a core function of its public health activities, the Secretary for Health,
Welfare and Food, Dr York Chow, said today (May 22) when officiating at the
Health Promotion Project Expo 2006.
He hoped people from different sectors and backgrounds could all continue to
work together with the common goal to improve our community's health through the
Expo.
Dr Chow noted the Health Care and Promotion Fund had played an important role in
health promotion and disease prevention since its establishment in 1995.
The objective of the fund is to promote health for all by providing financial
support to non-profit organisations to conduct projects that raise awareness and
advocate healthy lifestyles.
"In fostering a more healthy community, we need multiple strategies to respond
to people's needs.
"These strategies include disseminating knowledge and skills of health
promotion; partnering and building alliances among the public, private,
non-governmental, academic and professional organisations; building leadership
capacity; and investing in sustainable policies and infrastructure in order to
improve health determinants," Dr Chow said.
Also speaking at the ceremony, the co-chair of the Health Care and Promotion
Fund Sub-committee, Professor Lee Shiu-hung, said: "Health promotion projects
supported by the Fund enable us to accumulate valuable practical experience.
Innovative and feasible projects lay a sound foundation for sustainable health
promotion activities in the future.
"Looking ahead, we need to formulate new strategies and set a new direction for
the fund to better the services and suit the needs of the community."
Awards were presented to eight outstanding projects at the expo. These included
a pioneering telephone hotline to help people quit smoking, development of a
simplified and widely adopted version of tai chi exercise to promote physical
and psychological health for the elderly, and a highly engaging campaign to
promote sexual and reproductive health in the community. Apart from presenting
their outstanding projects, the awardees also joined the discussion session to
share their experiences.
Outstanding health promotion projects supported by the fund were displayed at
the Expo, in which leaders in the health promotion field shared experiences and
the latest knowledge. Some 250 delegates representing organisations from a
variety of health promotion sectors, including public and voluntary
organisations, academic and professional bodies participated in the event.
In 1995, the Government set aside $80 million for the setting up of the Health
Care and Promotion Fund with a view to strengthening health promotion and
disease prevention work by funding outstanding health promotion projects to
promote healthier lifestyles by enhancing awareness, changing behaviour or
creating an environment that supported good health practices.
The fund had so far allocated a total of $35 million to support 115 quality
health promotion projects. The design of the majority of the projects was
related to health problems that Hong Kong was facing, including tobacco control,
healthy lifestyles, exercise and nutrition, mental health, seniors' health,
child and youth health, and women's health, etc.
Ends/Monday, May 22, 2006
Issued at HKT 16:02
NNNN