On 5 May 2010, the SAVE LIVES: Clean Your Hands initiative of the World Health Organization (WHO) will celebrate its second global hand hygiene awareness day with an extended call to action to health-care workers throughout the world. By cleaning hands in the right way and at the right time, health care workers can to help reduce health care-associated infections (HAI) and save lives.

Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) has all along been a keen supporter of the WHO The First Global Patient Safety Challenge: Clean Care is Safer Care initiative. To further intensify the accomplishments of this initiative, the Department of Health and Hospital Authority have jointly organized the major Hand Hygiene Awareness Day on 5 May 2010.

The Ceremony aims to join WHO Patient Safety to celebrate global "SAVE LIVES: Clean Your Hands" initiatives on 5th May.

The highlights include congratulatory message from Dr Margaret CHAN, Director-General, WHO and Sir Liam DONALDSON, Chair, WHO Patient Safety as well as keynote address by Dr York CHOW, Secretary for Food and Health at the video-link session with WHO