Geneva, May 20 – The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, continued his visit to the 78th World Health Assembly (WHA) of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, Switzerland, yesterday. During the event, he engaged with international participants and WHO officials, sharing the positive developments of Hong Kong and the nation.
Professor Lo and the Director of Health, Dr Ronald Lam, joined the plenary session as members of the Chinese delegation on the second day of the Assembly.
In the morning, they attended the High-Level Segment where Vice Premier of the State Council Mr Liu Guozhong delivered a speech. Professor Lo noted that Vice Premier Liu’s remarks followed key addresses on the first day by Minister of the National Health Commission Mr Lei Haichao and China’s Permanent Representative to the UN Office at Geneva Mr Chen Xu. These speeches covered proposals related to Taiwan, the origins of COVID-19, and China’s efforts in promoting global health cooperation.
Professor Lo highlighted China’s significant contributions to global health, including the deployment of medical teams worldwide and the supply of more than 500 billion personal protective items and 2.3 billion vaccine doses during the pandemic. He said the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government fully supports the national strategy to help build a global community of health for all.
Later in the day, Professor Lo and Dr Lam joined a thematic side event on traditional medicine. The event, hosted by the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine (NATCM) and co-hosted by health authorities from Malaysia, Nepal, Saudi Arabia, and Seychelles, focused on advancing universal health coverage through the WHO Traditional Medicine Strategy 2025–2034. The event was moderated by Professor Margaret Chan from Tsinghua University and Professor Ren Minghui from Peking University. NATCM Commissioner Professor Yu Yanhong gave the keynote speech.
During a panel discussion, Professor Lo shared Hong Kong’s experience in promoting high-quality development of Chinese medicine. He explained that Hong Kong will use its strengths in healthcare, regulation, research, and trade to support the internationalisation of Chinese medicine (CM). He pointed to the Hospital Authority’s years of experience in integrated Chinese-Western medicine (ICWM) services and described plans for the new Chinese Medicine Hospital to develop the “Hong Kong model” for clinical care. This model includes pure CM, CM-predominant, and ICWM services aimed at raising international standards.
On the topic of CM drugs, Professor Lo discussed the work of the Government Chinese Medicines Testing Institute. The institute is advancing research, education, and global exchanges on CM drug testing. It is also developing international reference standards and testing methods and promoting their application through training and technology transfer.
While in Geneva, Professor Lo and Dr Lam also met with Dr Luz María De Regil, Director of the WHO Department of Nutrition and Food Safety. They discussed global strategies for managing obesity. Professor Lo stressed that obesity is a growing challenge in Hong Kong and affirmed the government’s commitment to stopping its rise through life-course interventions.
The delegation is scheduled to depart Geneva today (May 21) and return to Hong Kong tomorrow (May 22).
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