Sustainability: passing the baton to a new generation
2021 is a year of commemorations for Dr Leung
Wing-cheong, Consultant of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology
(O&G) of Kwong Wah Hospital (KWH). He received an award for 30 years of service in
Hospital Authority (HA), stepped down as Chief of Service of O&G after serving for 11
years, and was appointed as a member of the HA Board.
After his departure from office, Dr Leung has devoted more time to his clinical duties and his work with the HA Board, Hong Kong Academy of Medicine and other professional activities. Dr Leung describes himself as a good communicator. Now that he finds himself working with colleagues from different generations with different life goals, and hence considers mutual respect is the key to achieving understanding. He hopes effective communication with colleagues combined with a wealth of frontline experience help him understand the difficulties and needs of healthcare workers better and fulfil his role in the HA Board.
After his departure from office, Dr Leung has devoted more time to his clinical duties and his work with the HA Board, Hong Kong Academy of Medicine and other professional activities. Dr Leung describes himself as a good communicator. Now that he finds himself working with colleagues from different generations with different life goals, and hence considers mutual respect is the key to achieving understanding. He hopes effective communication with colleagues combined with a wealth of frontline experience help him understand the difficulties and needs of healthcare workers better and fulfil his role in the HA Board.
Rising to the challenge of staff retention
Dr Leung believes safeguarding manpower is key to the HA achieving
its goal of long-term sustainability. “The medical profession involves human
relationships,” he says, “manpower management is what matters in sustainable healthcare
services.”
Staff retention is one of the most pressing issues for the public healthcare sector, Dr Leung argues, saying he would like to see doctors staying in public hospitals for five to 10 years after receiving their medical specialty training. Hence, they can pass on their experience and knowledge to the next generation of doctors, and patients will benefit too.
Staff retention is one of the most pressing issues for the public healthcare sector, Dr Leung argues, saying he would like to see doctors staying in public hospitals for five to 10 years after receiving their medical specialty training. Hence, they can pass on their experience and knowledge to the next generation of doctors, and patients will benefit too.
Speeding up the application of technology in pandemic
Reflecting on recent developments, Dr Leung says the
COVID-19 pandemic has played a role in speeding up the application of technology,
pointing out the positive changes it has brought about in consultations and the
preparation of treatment plans.
A good example is the recent establishment of a FMPRG website in his subspecialty of Maternal Fetal Medicine (MFM) with the help from the Department of Pathology, Hong Kong Children’s Hospital. FMPRG stands for the abbreviations of medical terms: Fetal Medicine, Pathology, Radiology, and Genetics or Genomics. It is an online interactive platform for uploading special prenatal fetal medicine cases among the multidisciplinary team members for education and voting to select appropriate cases for further genetics and genomics investigations, Whole Exome Sequencing (WES) or Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS). The entire discussion and decision-making process can be completed online in a timely manner without the need of in-person meeting. And all the cases can be archived on the website for education and research purposes together with secured patient privacy.
A good example is the recent establishment of a FMPRG website in his subspecialty of Maternal Fetal Medicine (MFM) with the help from the Department of Pathology, Hong Kong Children’s Hospital. FMPRG stands for the abbreviations of medical terms: Fetal Medicine, Pathology, Radiology, and Genetics or Genomics. It is an online interactive platform for uploading special prenatal fetal medicine cases among the multidisciplinary team members for education and voting to select appropriate cases for further genetics and genomics investigations, Whole Exome Sequencing (WES) or Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS). The entire discussion and decision-making process can be completed online in a timely manner without the need of in-person meeting. And all the cases can be archived on the website for education and research purposes together with secured patient privacy.
Outside of work hours, Dr Leung loves to write articles, submitting
to local and international journals for publication, covering not only O&G and MFM, but
also other subjects of interest. He has recently finished an article for Hong Kong
Medical Journal about the historical labour room records of KWH from the 1930s to 1950s,
which gives a fascinating insight into the social environment of Hong Kong at that
time.
So, even when he is away from work, Dr Leung’s mind is very much on his profession. He laughs off the suggestion he is a workaholic and explains, “I just enjoy working from the bottom of my heart.” It could also be reflected in his interest.
So, even when he is away from work, Dr Leung’s mind is very much on his profession. He laughs off the suggestion he is a workaholic and explains, “I just enjoy working from the bottom of my heart.” It could also be reflected in his interest.
