Message from the Chairman

Speech by Mr. CHAU Chun Tat, Danny
Chairman of the 75th Board of Directors

Pok Oi Hospital, deeply rooted in Yuen Long, was established in 1919. Ever since its inception, Pok Oi Hospital has steadfastly upheld the motto of “We Love, We Care, We Serve” to benefit the people of Hong Kong, foster social progress, and cultivate a harmonious community. Supported by our generous benefactors throughout the years, Pok Oi Hospital now has 121 service units, including Chinese and Western medicine services, dental care, elderly services, youth services, family services, education services, as well as grassroots housing services. Our services cover various districts in Hong Kong and we have served more than 1.5 million people from all walks of life every year.

Pok Oi Hospital has reached its 105th anniversary in 2024. Our philanthropic services and acts of kindness have been perpetuating for centuries and we grow stronger day by day. The unwavering perseverance and tireless efforts of predecessors have laid a solid foundation for our achievements. It is my pleasure to serve as Chairman this year. Although the responsibility ahead may be daunting, I am committed to giving my best in upholding the values of Pok Oi Hospital. Together with my esteemed colleagues on the Board of Directors, we will strive to meet the diverse needs of society, foster growth and innovation while ensuring stability, and advocate for a caring and inclusive society.

Caring for Livelihoods, Promoting Harmonious Society Development

• Latest Transitional Housing Project “Pok Oi Sing Ping Village”

The demand for housing in Hong Kong is exceptionally high and there is a long waiting list for public housing. While waiting for public housing, the grassroots citizen has to pay high rents and living in undesirable living environment. In response to the Hong Kong Government’s housing policy, Pok Oi Hospital has developed the Hong Kong’s largest transitional housing project “Pok Oi Kong Ha Wai Village” in Yuen Long, we then put forward with our full strength for the second transitional housing project — “Pok Oi Sing Ping Village” in Ta Kwu Ling. The Village, covers a total area of 130,000 square feet, was built and supervised by Pok Oi Hospital and operated on a non-profit basis. Construction began in 2022 and is scheduled to be operational in 2024 Q2. It will provide 601 units and benefit approximately 1,000 people. Besides offering residential development, it will also provide the residents with various people-oriented community services and basic living facilities. The two comprehensive service buildings located in the Village will be equipped with convenience stores, community restaurants, activity rooms, multi-purpose outdoor plazas and a day care centre for older adults, etc.

• Apply for Light Public Housing

“The Chief Executive’s 2022 Policy Address” proposed that the government would expedite the construction of “Light Public Housing” by using the “Modular Integrated Construction”(MiC) method in order to fill the gap of insufficient public housing supply as soon as possible. In the next five years (i.e. 2023– 2028), the government will build about 30,000 units for people who have been waiting for public housing for more than three years. In response to the government policies, Pok Oi Hospital leverages its experience in operating transitional housing and actively engages in the development of light public housing. Our aim is to collaborate with the government in assisting those in need, enhancing their living conditions, and fostering a welcoming and inclusive community through community oriented approaches.

• POH Tuen Mun Lam Tei Nursing and Residential Care Home for the Elderly, the Largest Residential Care Home in Hong Kong

Elderly care is one of Pok Oi Hospital’s key services. As the issue of ageing intensifies in Hong Kong, the demand for elderly care services in our community continues to increase day-by-day. Sponsored by the Lee Shau Kee Foundation, Henderson Land Group donated 100,000 square feet of land to Pok Oi Hospital in Lam Tei, Tuen Mun. Together with the funding from the Lotteries Fund of the Social Welfare Department through the“Special Scheme on Privately Owned Sites for Welfare Uses”, we build the largest nursing and residential care home for the aging in Hong Kong, “Tuen Mun Lam Tei Nursing and Residential Care Home for the Elderly”. It will provide 1,434 nursing and care places for older adults and will cater for the needs of the elderly with varying degrees of frailty. This project has received various support from the government and social elites from multiple sectors, reflecting the determination of good citizen, business and government to work together to build a senior care home that allows the elderly to have a carefree and fulfilling life in their later years. Construction is progressing satisfactorily and is expected to be completed in 2026. It is targeted to operate in March 2027.

In response to the global trend of green building and sustainable development, this project is dedicated to minimizing the environmental impact of construction through a comprehensive approach. It explores the integration of advanced technologies, including a 5G network, care management system, logistics robots, and smart medication management. These innovations aim to optimize home management and enhance nursing services for residents’ well-being.

• Singapore Smart Elderly Care Expedition

Pok Oi Hospital is planning to host a “Singapore Smart Elderly Care Services and Community Care Expedition” in either August or September 2024. The aim of this event is to learn from Singapore’s policies and practices in promoting elderly welfare and community care. It also seeks to gain insights into the guidance and support provided for community care. By studying Singapore’s experiences and practices, we hope to provide better guidance and direction for the development of smart elder care in Hong Kong. Additionally, we look forward to establishing exchanges and collaborations with relevant units in Singapore to jointly promote improvements in elderly welfare and care quality.

• The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust — Establish Primary Care Community Pharmacy

Pok Oi Hospital has received funding from the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust to operate “Primary Care Community Pharmacy”, which is scheduled to open in 2024 Q2. It will provide services such as medication management, minor illness consultation and drug education, and the promotion of relevant drugs and health information. In addition, it will provide pharmacy students with educational opportunities.

• Continue implementation of the POH Chronic Illness Relief Fund

For chronically ill patients, chronic illness is a shackle in life. The patients would not only have to endure long-term physical pain and mental stress, they also face financial pressure caused by medical and drug expenses. Pok Oi Hospital has been committed to providing various services to society since its establishment. And hence the “Pok Oi Hospital Chronic Illness Relief Fund” was established to assist and support chronically ill patients with economic difficulties to receive suitable diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation and health care support. The fund will provide eligible individuals or families with a maximum of HK$100,000 to subsidize treatment, rehabilitation, medication and other expenses and hope to reduce their financial burden on the road to treatment and regain their hope for life. Pok Oi Hospital will continue to maintain close contact with various communities in different region to care for vulnerable groups and ethnic minorities.

Dedicated to the Community and Extending Love to the Public

• Pok Oi Volunteer Development Fund

Pok Oi Hospital actively supports the government in implementing various social services and welfare policies. To further implement our ideals and mission, we continue to enhance and expand our voluntary work and embody the spirit of mutual help and love. Pok Oi Hospital has reorganized the volunteer team since the pandemic and established the “Pok Oi Volunteer Development Fund” to encourage different sectors of the society and enthusiastic people of all ages to serve the community.

Our volunteer services welcome people from all backgrounds, genders, and ages in order to promote social diversity. It creates an inclusive space for different communities and brings a sense of belonging and satisfaction to participants, creating a win-win situation. With 121 service units, Pok Oi Hospital promotes volunteer services and implements various programs in our community. We also gather volunteers from different sectors, including caregivers for children, students, teenagers, older adults, and business partners, etc. By loving, caring, and serving, we build a benevolent community together.

• Pok Oi Blood Donation Day

Blood’s critical role in the medical system stems from its irreplaceable nature and limited storage period. Our medical system relies on the generous support and blood donations of enthusiastic blood donors in order to maintain the blood bank supply for providing appropriate treatment for patients. It is important to encourage more citizens to develop the pleasant habit of regular blood donation and to stabilize the blood bank supply. In view of this, Pok Oi Hospital and the Hong Kong Red Cross held “Pok Oi Blood Donation Day” in March, 2024. Around 100 people participated to help those in need. Pok Oi Hospital hopes that, besides collecting blood via blood donation activities, these activities can also improve the public’s understanding of Hong Kong’s medical system and awareness of civic responsibilities, aiming at building a harmonious society of mutual help and love, and giving more positive energy to the community.

• Launching of New Social Enterprise Project – Specialty Bakery and Restaurant

Pok Oi Hospital has been actively reaching out to corporations for donations and resources, aiming to expand its range of diversified services. We launched our first social enterprise in 2014, Pok Oi Café, to provide training and internship opportunities for teenagers. Based on the existing operating experience, Pok Oi Hospital once again applied for funding from the Home Affairs Department’s “Enhancing Self Alliance” Through District Partnership Programme to open a bakery and restaurant. At the same time, we actively contacted corporate groups to sponsor shop rent and other business support.

This upcoming project will be operated as a social enterprise to provide employment and training opportunities for disadvantaged groups. It will target senior citizens, women and early career youth. We hope to improve their job skills through on-the-job training to increase their chances of upward mobility. In addition to creating employment and training opportunities for disadvantaged groups, these new shops will also be set up as “Community caring shops”, to form a caring volunteer team with relevant companies to visit communities in need and distribute free bread to spread the message of care and inclusion.

• Implement Cooperation with Metropolitan University to Cultivate Medical Staff for Elderly Care Services

To strengthen nursing services and cultivate the next generation of medical talents, Pok Oi Hospital will cooperate with the School of Nursing and Health Studies of Hong Kong Metropolitan University in 2024 to implement the “Clinical Practical Training” program, allowing nursing students to experience clinical nursing work firsthand in various nursing centres and residential care homes of Pok Oi Hospital, including the POH Tuen Mun Lam Tei Nursing and Residential Care Home for the Elderly, which is scheduled for completion in 2027. At the same time, this program will help attract and retain professional nursing talents. It will provide an additional force for elderly care services, improve service level and quality, and provide professional and caring care for senior citizens.

Alleviating Illness, Strengthen Primary Medical Support

• Improving Chinese Medicine Mobile Medical Vehicle Services

Pok Oi Hospital boasts a well-equipped mobile medical team. There are in total 35 Chinese medicine vehicles operating at public housing estates and areas in Hong Kong, Kowloon and the New Territories. In the future, our mobile medical team will extend their services to remote rural areas and regions and provide one-step services to patients with limited mobility so that the patients could save travel time and reduce delayed health care treatment. We are honored that the Yuen Yuen Institute and Dr. Chan Kwok chiu, BBS, MH, JP, Permanent Adviser of Pok Oi Hospital, generously donated HK$1.2 million to purchase 2 more vehicle for mobile Chinese medicine services to further expand our service network and benefit more citizens.

To stay current with the evolving healthcare landscape, Pok Oi Hospital has made plans to gradually convert all medical vehicles into specialized Chinese medicine vehicles. We will also launch our first electric medical vehicle equipped with a 5G network to provide professional diagnosis and treatment to the public. Pok Oi Hospital will continue to strengthen Chinese medical services. Taking advantage of medical vehicles’ convenience and to-the-point characteristics, our Chinese medicine services will become more comprehensive.

Nurturing Young People, Leading the Way for Growth

• Pok Oi Youth Singing Contest 2023-24

Since 2014, Pok Oi has in our root district. This contest serves as a platform for young individuals who possess a deep passion for music and exhibit singing potential, providing them with an opportunity to showcase their talent and pursue their dreams. The contest winners will have the opportunity to perform at our in-house events throughout the year. The competition has garnered significant participation, and several winners have successfully made their debuts as singers. As we approach the contest’s eighth year, we are honored to be co-organized with the Yuen Long District Affairs Office and receive funding from the Home Affairs Department’s “Community Involvement Programme” to increase the scale of production and number of participants, and use music to promote youth vitality and positive energy. Nearly 600 teams signed up for the event, and the response was overwhelming We are excited to continue our mission of providing aspiring young talents with a platform to showcase their skills and pursue their dreams, embodying the spirit of our slogan, “Youth has dreams, I dare to sing!”

• Pok Oi Greater Bay Area Exchange Tour to Understand the status of National Development

Pok Oi Hospital places significant emphasis on the growth and development of young individuals and actively aligns with government youth policies. We have established the “Pok Oi Youth Development Fund” and the “Pok Oi Youth Music Fund” respectively, in order to cultivate the diverse development of young people, including art training, sports training, career development, volunteer leadership training, and exchange activities, especially exchanges in the Greater Bay Area, to allow teenagers to experience first-hand domestic development and employment opportunities.

In 2023, Pok Oi Hospital successfully organized two notable events, namely the “Greater Bay Area KOL Exchange Tour” and the “Greater Bay Area Music Exchange Tour.” These initiatives provided valuable opportunities for knowledge-sharing and cultural exchange among key opinion leaders (KOLs) and musicians from the Greater Bay Area region. The KOL exchange tour’s itinerary includes visits to film and television post-production bases and live broadcast e-commerce industrial parks. At the same time, exchanges and meetings were held with KOL and Internet celebrity mentors in Mainland China, to enhance young people’s understanding of the Greater Bay Area entrepreneurship platform and business environment. On the other hand, the music exchange tour’s itinerary includes visits to Guangzhou music training schools and related enterprises. Professional music teachers from Mainland China provided guidance during the process, and all young participants benefited. In the future, Pok Oi Hospital will continue to integrate with our country and offer more fieldwork opportunities for the next generation.

Cultivate Talents, Focus on Diversified Teaching

• Strengthen National Education and National Security Education

National security serves as the fundamental pillar for peace, stability, and safeguarding the wellbeing of all citizens. National security education is an integral component of “values education” and should not be detached from the broader educational framework. National security education is crucial within the school curriculum, and Pok Oi’s affiliated schools prioritize this responsibility by adhering to the Education Bureau’s requirements. They organize events centered around national education and national security education to offer additional support and resources for strengthening the national education curriculum. The goal is to deepen students’ understanding of the rule of law, national affairs, and their role in protecting national security. These efforts also foster a sense of national identity among the students. Last September, we were honored to have Mr. Cheung Kwok-Kwan, SBS, JP, Deputy Secretary of Justice, as our keynote speaker on the topic of “How to teach legal education in a fun manner”. In the future, we will continue to cooperate with all relevant stakeholders. At different learning stages, we will combine key elements of national security education through mutual cooperation, as well as organize learning activities inside and outside the school so that the younger generation gains a deeper understanding of the world and our country’s development. By enhancing national pride and sense of belonging, we prepare our young generation to become responsible and law-abiding citizens and contribute to building a prosperous and harmonious Hong Kong.

Nurture Blessings, passing the Spirit of Pok Oi Hospital

Pok Oi Hospital is dedicated to expanding its range of services, staying up-to-date with social developments and trends, and striving for excellence. This commitment ensures that we provide appropriate and targeted care to the general public. In addition to delivering exceptional services, we have actively served society for many years. As we approach the momentous occasion of Pok Oi Hospital’s 105th anniversary, we have received support from individuals across all sections of society. To uphold the spirit of Pok Oi and maintain our extensive operations and service network, we rely on enthusiastic donations and support from the general public. These contributions are essential to us. Therefore, Pok Oi Hospital will organize innovative fundraising activities and establish more effective donation channels. Our goal is to involve compassionate individuals in participating in the event and supporting a wider range of fundraising initiatives.

In the coming year, Pok Oi Hospital will remain dedicated to organizing a series of regular fundraising activities for the benefit of the community. These activities include events such as Pok Oi Cycle for Millions, Pok Oi Charity Show, Pok Oi Charity Run, Pok Oi Martial Arts Performance, Pok Oi Charity Golf Tournament, Pok Oi Month, Pok Oi Charitable Heritage Walk, and Pok Oi Neighbors Donations. These initiatives provide valuable opportunities for individuals to contribute to the hospital’s philanthropic efforts and make a positive impact in our society. Pok Oi Hospital, as a charity organization deeply rooted in Hong Kong for over a century, has earned a well-known reputation for its core values of generosity, benefiting all, compassion, and love. These values have become synonymous with our organization, reflecting our longstanding commitment to serving the community and providing care and support to those in need. In 2024, we are committed to enhancing our brand building and promotion efforts, aiming to create a new image for Pok Oi Hospital through various multimedia channels. In the long run, we will utilize social media and other platforms to raise awareness and share our stories. This will help to strengthen Pok Oi Hospital’s long-term growth and gain support and recognition from younger generations.

Conclusion

Under the leadership of Dr. CHAN Shou Ming, Chairman of the 74th Board of Directors, Pok Oi Hospital has implemented several impactful projects aimed at benefiting those in need. The remarkable results achieved by these initiatives are a testament to their effectiveness. On behalf of the 75th Board of Directors, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Dr. Chan. At the same time, I am deeply honored to have my colleagues’ support to serve as Chairman of the 75th Board of Directors. I am committed to guiding Pok Oi Hospital towards its 105th anniversary with my colleagues on the Board, we anticipate further expression in the number of service units this year. In addition, the number of beneficiaries will reach an all-time high in order to serve vulnerable communities in Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area.
On this momentous occasion, I wholeheartedly join you in extending my sincere wishes for the collective collaboration of our esteemed predecessors, consultants, board of directors, and colleagues. Let us unite in upholding the legacy of our past achievements and forge ahead together to expand our philanthropic endeavors. By doing so, we will make significant contributions towards the creation of a more harmonious society and bring tangible benefits to our community.

I wish you all the best with continued happiness and health. Thank you!

Mr. CHAU Chun Tat, Danny
Chairman of the 75th Board of Directors