Words from new leaders

A new round of senior leaders has been in post since April. Albeit each has his own aspirations, they share the same goal of valuing team communication and the wish of offering quality healthcare services to Hong Kong citizens.

“Cluster Services Division provides unflagging support to frontline colleagues who have to make prompt decisions in daily operation. Therefore communication between management and hospital frontline is very important. We’ll listen to and respect colleagues’ views, reserve flexibility when putting forward policies, and offer total support in cluster operation. I understand many experienced colleagues are retiring soon. We will provide younger colleagues with diverse training to sharpen their professional skills to cope with the ever-changing healthcare demand and deliver appropriate services to the public.”

Dr Tony Ko
Director (Cluster Services)

“I visited village schools in mountain areas of China some years ago. I saw children there studying hard not only because they hope to improve their quality of daily living, but also to bring about changes to the poor mountain areas. In order to introduce changes and to foster genuine patient-centred care, we need to equip and encourage our colleagues to ‘think outside the box’ other than enhancing professional skill training. I hope with the two Cs – Capacity (depth) and Compatibility (width) – I will enrich myself with opinions from different stakeholders, so that we can align our vision to implement policies, enhance quality of care and serve our population better.”

Dr David Sun
Hospital Chief Executive (North District Hospital)

“Soccer is the sport I like most. In a soccer match, all players have to cooperate with one another and take an extra step in the field. I love playing football because I enjoy the cooperation among players in the match, no matter what the final result is. Similarly, teamwork is essential for us to overcome challenges arising from service demand and service model transformation in our daily work. I am certain that our healthcare services will continuously improve through concerted efforts. We‘ll listen to our patients and communicate more to deliver patient-centred care.”

Dr Simon Tang
Cluster Chief Executive (New Territories West Cluster) and
Hospital Chief Executive (Tuen Mun Hospital)

“Apart from developing guidelines and monitoring infection rates, I consider raising people’s awareness of infection control, through public education and staff training, is of paramount importance because this is the foundation of health protection which can effectively reduce hospital acquired infections. One of the challenges in this new position is time management. To discharge the duties of Chief Infection Control Officer, and manage the tasks of cluster and hospital, I need to prioritise and allocate time for the work based on short and long-term planning.”

Dr Raymond Lai
Chief Infection Control Officer

“When I was a medical student in 1991, a professor sent us to time-out outside DKCH since we failed to answer simple questions. It has left the most lasting impression of three hospitals in Sandy Bay on me before being the HCE appointed. Now, strong commitment and sense of belonging of colleagues, who advocate ‘what I want to do for patients’ instead of asking ‘what I want’, have left me amazed. Despite the small number of staff in these three hospitals, synergy effect can be achieved through effective cooperation with other hospitals in the cluster. I strive to provide more career development opportunities for colleagues including job rotation to keep them abreast of the development in the cluster, HA and healthcare industry. It is definitely eye-opening and helpful in stimulating new thoughts on service improvement.”

Dr Tang Kam-shing
Hospital Chief Executive (The Duchess of Kent Children’s Hospital (DKCH) /
TWGHs Fung Yiu King Hospital / MacLehose Medical Rehabilitation Centre)

“The redevelopment project of OLMH has drawn high attention in Wong Tai Sin district. As the HCE, I am obliged to ensure smooth implementation and progress of the project. Redevelopment of OLMH never concerns itself only since it involves service relocation to sister hospitals within the cluster and their support is essential. I will further integrate the management structure across the three hospitals and enhance coordination. I will also communicate with staff and solicit their views. To put words into action, I have recently invited some General Managers (Nursing) in Kowloon Central Cluster hospitals and department heads to brainstorm the bed deployment during the redevelopment of OLMH. A few staff forum have also been held in OLMH.”

Dr Chong Yee-hung
Hospital Chief Executive (Our Lady of Maryknoll Hospital (OLMH) /
Hong Kong Buddhist Hospital / TWGHs Wong Tai Sin Hospital)