he development of emergency medicine in Hong Kong was still in its infancy when Dr Chung Chin-hung joined the Accident and Emergency (A&E) service 26 years ago. There was no proper A&E training either. As we all know, the A&E department is at the very front line of a hospital, and A&E doctors deal with matters of life and death. Dr Chung and some of his peers understood that emergency medicine needed to become a specialty service. So, he was a key figure in the establishment of the Hong Kong Society for Emergency Medicine and Surgery in 1985. He also served as its Vice-President and President for eight years. In addition, he set up the Accident & Emergency Training Centre in 1994, when he was the Hospital Chief Executive and Consultant (A&E) at Tang Shiu Kin Hospital. The Centre was the first in Hong Kong to provide structured emergency medicine training to healthcare professionals.

When Dr Chung joined the newly established North District Hospital (NDH) in 1998, he was given the important task of opening its A&E Department. Under his leadership, NDH set a record in Hong Kong for providing 24-hour A&E services right from the opening day of its A&E Department. This would have been impossible without his exceptional courage and vision.

Speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the Hong Kong College of Emergency Medicine in 1997.

When it comes to promoting first aid knowledge among the Hong Kong community, probably no one is as active as Dr Chung. He is the medical adviser to the Fire Services Department Ambulancemen's Union, the Hong Kong Life Saving Society and some other organisations. He was the first honorary advisor appointed by the Hong Kong Police for enhancing its first aid and paramedic training. Between 2006 and 2009, Dr Chung co-organised three cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training progammes in North District, in conjunction with the North District Secondary School Headmasters' Conference, the North District Primary School Principals' Conference and the Hong Kong St. John Ambulance. More than 1,800 teachers, students and parents took part in these programmes.

Dr Chung says he is delighted to have been selected as an Outstanding Staff Member. "I particularly want to thank my patients, colleagues and the HA for giving me many valuable opportunities to learn and to serve. I feel I am the person who has benefited the most." He adds that work offers all of us precious experience, development opportunities, and the satisfaction of achievement. "It is a way to enjoy life." Dr Chung is retiring this year. All of us at HASLink hope this new chapter in his life will be even more satisfying than his years in public healthcare!

Dr Chung (fourth from right, front row) is undoubtedly the founding father of NDH's A&E Department.