Tung Wah Group of Hospitals

Rooted in Hong Kong for over one and a half centuries, Tung Wah Group of Hospitals (TWGHs) has been a pivotal part of the Hong Kong society, relentlessly upholding its mission “To heal the sick and to relieve the distressed; to care for the elderly and to rehabilitate the disabled; to promote education and to nurture the youngsters; and to raise the infants and to guide the youth”. Keeping abreast of the times, TWGHs has persistently optimised and extended its services in order to meet the ever-changing needs of the society and members of the public. The Inauguration Ceremony of the TWGHs Board of Directors 2022/2023 was held at the Assembly Hall of Tung Wah Hospital today (17 May 2022), with Mr. CHAN Jick Chi, Jack, JP, Acting Secretary for Home Affairs, officiating. It marked the new Board of Directors’ commitment and dedication to leading TWGHs towards a brighter future on the philanthropic road.

Mr. CHAN Jick Chi, Jack, JP, Acting Secretary for Home Affairs, presented testimonials to the retiring Board Members and Advisers. He also administered the oath of the 2022/2023 Board Members including Mr. MA Ching Yeung, Philip, the Chairman, Mr. WAI Ho Man, Herman, the 1st Vice-Chairman, Ms. TANG Ming Wai, Mandy, the 2nd Vice-Chairman, Mr. HO Yau Kai, Orlando, the 3rd Vice-Chairman, Mr. TSENG Hing Yip, York, the 4th Vice-Chairman, Ms. CHOI Ka Yee, Crystal, the 5th Vice-Chairman, as well as Mr. LEE Chak Hol, Michael, Mrs. MAK TANG Wai Man, Vivian, Mrs. NG CHENG Nga Yu, Emmi, Mr. Joseph LIN, Ms. Jennifer YEUNG, Mr. Jonathan NG, Mr. ZHENG Jiansheng, Sam, Mr. CJ YAO, Mr. Victor CHANG, Mr. CHEUNG Yip Wai, Daniel, Mr. CHAN On Lap, Felix, Mr. YEUNG Cheuk Hing, Jacky, Ms. MAK Ching Yui, Matching and Mr. CHAN Chi Ho, Allen, the Directors.

Speaking at the Ceremony, Mr. MA Ching Yeung, Philip, the Chairman, said that the Board has already, in its Annual Plan, drawn up a series of initiatives to improve and extend TWGHs services in the coming year to meet the social needs. Thanks to the support of the Government and various sectors of the society, the number of the Group’s service units has been increased to 357, and the recurring expenses including that of medical services for the coming year will exceed $11 billion. TWGHs is also in the process of planning and launching multiple large-scale construction projects spanning several years, including Kwong Wah Hospital Redevelopment Project Phase 2, new campuses for kindergartens and special schools, rebuilding of several homes for the elderly, and a youth hostel development. Although these projects will bring financial pressures, TWGHs vows to adopt a cautious budgetary strategy in their execution, and monitor the Group’s operations through effective administrative measures. In short, TWGHs will put the best use every cent from the Government and the community, and strive to reach out to more of those in need.

The principle of TWGHs medical services is to provide the community with quality Chinese and Western medical services. At present, TWGHs has 5 hospitals and 37 medical and health service units devoted to Chinese and Western medicine, dentistry, rehabilitation, health screening, hemodialysis, CT scan and endoscopy, filling the gaps left by the public medical and healthcare system. TWGHs is the earliest organisation in Hong Kong to offer free treatment and medicine to those in need. In the coming year, the Group will do the utmost to maintain this exemplary tradition laid at TWGHs’ founding in 1870. Through various medical assistance programmes in the areas of cancer treatment using Chinese medicine, integrated Chinese and Western medicine services, renal failure care, as well as TWGHs MK Cancer Treatment Subsidy Fund, TWGHs will arrange treatments outside the Hospital Authority’s safety net for needy patients with financial challenges.

Mr. MA Ching Yeung, Philip, the Chairman, continued, the Board will give its unstinting support to all medical development initiatives. Of these, the superstructure and related works of Kwong Wah Hospital Redevelopment Project Phase 1 will be finished in the second half of 2022. TWGHs is prepared to move Kwong Wah Hospital’s clinical services into the building to vacant the old main building for the commencement of Phase 2 redevelopment. Furthermore, the Group will continue with the renewal and retrofit works on Tung Wah Hospital’s Chinese medicine service units and TWGHs Wong Tai Sin Hospital’s Chinese Medicine Clinical Research and Services Centre. The Group believes that with upgraded interior facilities, they will offer even better Chinese medicine services to the local community.

Besides, TWGHs will also purchase more advanced medical equipment for its hospitals, including an endoscopic video system for Tung Wah Hospital, and a vascular robotic system and a smart drug sorting system for Kwong Wah Hospital, with the aim of raising efficacy. Meanwhile, TWGHs Medical Centre (North Point) will offer, in phases, more diverse diagnostic and specialist services. In support of district-level basic medical services, spaces for women’s screening services will be increased and community pharmacies are in the pipeline. TWGHs M. Ho Integrated Rehabilitation Centre has newly acquired Asia’s first ReStore lower-limb rehabilitation equipment to help stroke patients regain the ability to walk. Other developments include offering free-of-charge denture-making services to qualified seniors, and capitalising on service relocation to replace the computed tomography scanner at TWGHs Computed Tomography Imaging Centre and water treatment system at TWGHs Haemodialysis Centre.

In addition to medical services, education is TWGHs’ second statutory charity service category. From the founding of Man Mo Temple Free School in 1880, through the development of “free schools” to “new-style primary schools” in the 1950s, to the provision of affordable secondary education in the 1960s and 1970s, followed by free primary, secondary, kindergarten and special education, TWGHs has stood by the timeless value of education for all. The Group ensures that all school-aged children and youth have equal access to proper education.

The Group will continue to create ideal school environments that are conducive to effective learning. The campus design work of the 2 new special schools on Renfrew Road in Kowloon Tong will be carried on so that construction works can start soon with tentative completion in 2026. The new wing renewal works at TWGHs Ko Ho Ning Memorial Primary School is expected to be finished within this year, adding 2,900 m² gross floor area to the school. TWGHs’ application to the Education Bureau’s kindergarten campus allocation last year to move TWGHs Fong Shu Fook Tong Kindergarten, originally located in Siu Sai Wan on Hong Kong Island, to the new Queen’s Hill Estate in Fanling, was approved. This allows the School to deploy resources more effectively in the service of the new community, and create synergy with the neighbouring TWGHs Tseng Hin Pei Primary School, thereby fortifying the Group’s New Territories North school net.

Mr. MA Ching Yeung, Philip, the Chairman, continued, alongside the establishment of new schools, TWGHs provides an enriching learning experience to its students. In recent years, drone competitions have caught the attention of the education sector. After co-organising the first TWGHs Joint Secondary Schools Drone Competition with the Hong Kong Drone Sports Association last year, the Group will launch drone and aerial photography training courses at TWGHs schools so students can understand the connection between flight principles and STEM. Three TWGHs secondary schools will team up with China Mobile Hong Kong to establish a 5G STEM laboratory and bring 5G technology into the campus where it is applied to STEM teaching. In doing so, TWGHs hopes to verse students in the latest technologies through experiencing first-hand smart campus products developed with 5G technology.

Meanwhile, TWGHs seeks to expand young people’s perspectives through National Education, Life Planning Education, and Moral Education. This, the Group believes, will also strengthen national identity, build skills, and instill certain wisdoms and world views that will help students rise to future opportunities and challenges.  Despite the pandemic, the Group will maintain the sister school network between TWGHs secondary, primary and special schools and a hundred schools in 8 mainland cities. The Group will also renew collaboration agreements with East China Normal University in Shanghai, Shanghai Jiaotong University, and Minhang District, Shanghai, to pave the way for exchange activities after the pandemic. TWGHs will launch the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macau School Sponsoring Bodies Collaborating Platform (Hong Kong) to promote collaborative development of school sponsoring bodies in the 3 cities. The TWGHs teaching teams will continue to build diverse and creative learning environments to inspire learning and tap potentials. They will also promote whole-person education so students will adopt healthy and energetic lifestyles, and grow into socially aware, country-loving adults with global vision.

From burial for the poor and relief for natural disaster victims in the 19th century, to the wide spectrum of community services in the 21st century, TWGHs has been keeping a close connection with and serving the needs of families, children, youth, the elderly and people with disabilities, guided by the principle of “Quality Care, Holistic Development”.

Mr. MA Ching Yeung, Philip, the Chairman, stated that in order to launch a holistic youth cultivation work, TWGHs is hoping to commence soon the construction of the Hollywood Road Youth Hostel in Sheung Wan. The Hostel, when completed, will let employed youth pay lower-than-market rent for residential units, so they can use their savings and resources for personal goals. The Holistic Centre for Youth Development at the junction of Sam Chuk Street, Tsat Po Street, and King Fuk Street in San Po Kong is currently undergoing electromechanical and facility installations, and decoration of its lobby and activities rooms. It is expected to begin operations in phases starting from next year. TWGHs will soon launch cultural and creative youth-centred projects to explore modes of operation for the Centre in the future. Among these, the Street Culture Festival and the Theatre Career Training Scheme will have a series of workshops and stage management experience sessions organised to let young artists and performers accumulate experience so they are better positioned to find jobs. The Group has submitted the tender evaluation and suggestions of E-Co Village in Tseung Kwan O to the Environmental Protection Department and the Architectural Services Department for vetting, and the construction is believed to begin soon. The project is the first under the Government’s Restored Landfill Revitalisation Funding Scheme. The aim is to build Hong Kong’s first outdoor eco-village, an educational base for the public and youth to experience the green life, and to promote harmonious relationships between families, districts, and the environment. E-Co Village will feature a camp ground, an environmental education exhibition, a maze garden, and an outdoor recreational platform.

TWGHs adheres to its principle of giving the elderly a healthy and fulfilling life in their twilight years through quality services. The Group’s elderly and rehabilitation homes have always been synonymous with excellence. At present, TWGHs is going full-steam ahead with the feasibility study for the reconstruction of TWGHs Jockey Club Care & Attention Home for the Elderly and TWGHs Pao Siu Loong Care & Attention Home. These facilities will increase services and accommodations for the elderly and the physically challenged to meet urgent demands in the society. Besides, TWGHs is actively rising to the challenges of an ageing population in the community. The launch of the HKJC Pathway to Healthy Ageing Project proactively designs and enforces a healthy lifestyle for seniors judged to be of a high health risk, in order to slow down the ageing and deterioration process. “Silver Bell – Ring Our Lives” promotes the image of youthful old age by means of different activities. To meet the demands of carers, TWGHs is launching the Food and Health Bureau-subsidised “The Carers’ Journey Project” to provide supporting services to carers for the elderly and raise public awareness of their psychological health.

TWGHs has spared no effort at promoting the development of rehabilitation services and helping the underprivileged. Earlier, TWGHs was awarded the right to operate the Siu Lam OLIVE–Courtyard through an open tender. The facility will open its doors in the first quarter of 2023. TWGHs has a Day Activity Centre cum Residential Hostel for Severely Mentally Handicapped Persons and a Care and Attention Home for Severely Disabled Persons in Siu Lam OLIVE–Courtyard, offering a total of 400 day care places and 600 residential places. Furthermore, the District Support Centre for Persons with Disabilities in Islands district, located in Fu Tung Estate in Tung Chung, began operations in March 2022 to render training and support to physically handicapped persons in the area with an aim to helping them live independently. The Centre also offers support, counselling, referral and other services to their families to lighten the burdens of the carers. TWGHs has been awarded the operational rights of Hong Kong’s first Special Child Care Centre for English-speaking Children. The Centre, located in North Point Welfare Facilities Block, will offer special training and care to infants aged 2 to 6, whose mother tongue is English, to help them prepare for primary education. On a different note, TWGHs will launch Project ACT to promote the use of aerobic exercises as an intervention to help addicts build a healthy life, in view of the fact that technological advances and the pandemic have complicated the problem of drug addiction.

For over 10 years, TWGHs has introduced a commercial operational model and established many social enterprises to provide employment and on-the-job training for the underprivileged and to help them develop their talents and become self-sufficient. In the coming year, the Group will improve the administration and production flow of 11 food and beverage social enterprises, including CookEasy, iBakery, Take a Break, and U Deli, under the Jockey Club Rehabilitation Complex, targeting to design new products, create synergy, and raise efficiency.

Ever committed to the community, TWGHs supports the Government’s transitional housing policy. Last year, the Government’s Assessment Committee for the Funding Scheme to Support Transitional Housing Projects by Non-government Organisations allocated a total of close to $500 million to subsidise the Group’s Transitional Housing Projects at Lok Wo Sha Lane, Ma On Shan and Muk On Street, Kai Tak. Construction of the 2 housing projects is expected to begin in end of 2022, with tentative completion dates as early as late 2023. They will provide 890 residential units with bathrooms and cooking spaces to help families in line for public housing as well as others living in undesirable conditions.

As a green organisation, TWGHs pledges to honour its corporate social responsibility. The Group has adopted green measures comprehensively in their medical and health, education, community and traditional services. TWGHs is in full support of the Government’s environmental policy and prepared for the implementation of municipal solid waste (MSW) charging. The Group will carry out a Trial Programme on MSW Charging in three service units, promoting the practice of “reduce and recycle” and adopting a mock waste charge. The Group will continue to conduct its annual carbon audit to monitor and measure its environmental performance.

Mr. MA Ching Yeung, Philip, the Chairman, continued to elaborate that TWGHs’ traditional services cover funerals, burials, temples and rituals, as well as traditional cultural services. Reforms in recent years were carried out to improve service quality and rejuvenate the brand image. For instance, TWGHs International Funeral Parlour is undergoing renovations that include the redecoration of Hau Sze Hall, replacement of the air-conditioning system, and installation of an environmentally friendly joss paper burner. In the area of temple management, TWGHs is taking back the operational rights of the temples from contractors and giving them to the Group’s Traditional Services Section, in the hope of standardising daily operations and ensuring service quality. The Group will inject fresh ideas into traditional services, including co-organising “Heritage Vogue · Hollywood Road” and playing an active role in district festivals. The Group will also continue to plan the conversion of the lobby of Tung Wah Coffin Home into an education centre themed on TWGHs century-old bone repatriation service to let more people know about TWGHs’ legacy of open-hearted magnanimity.

TWGHs is Hong Kong’s oldest and largest charity organisation. The Group’s unique history is a reflection of Hong Kong’s development and underscores TWGHs’ special role in connecting Chinese from all over the world. For years, TWGHs has worked to protect, develop and share its own history and culture with the world. Although Tung Wah Museum is not open to public for the time being, the Group has kept up its efforts at relic preservation. TWGHs established a Steering Committee for the revamping of Tung Wah Museum to study how to maintain the Museum’s appearance before reconstruction of Kwong Wah Hospital is completed, and explore the feasibility of extending exhibition space and installing a lift, to pave the way for more comprehensive cultural services. In response to rising public demand for online resources, the “Records & Heritage” section of the TWGHs website will, after the revamp, provide one-stop historical and cultural information for an improved user experience. At the same time, TWGHs will collaborate with the History Department of Hong Kong Baptist University to construct an interactive map driven by themes that include TWGHs’ social assistance services during the Japanese occupation, public health and aerial bombing by the Allies; historical data on these topics may be useful for teachers and students in Hong Kong. TWGHs will also team up with the Department of Chinese and History of the City University of Hong Kong to share valuable historical data about its organisation with users of Chinese search engines in Hong Kong and the world, using TWGHs archival materials and images as an entry point. In the coming year, the Group will also continue to hold talks with different partners, including the three-session “Tales of the Distant Past: Global Charitable Network” Talk Series with the Hong Kong Museum of History, as well as lectures and a touring exhibition on TWGHs nursing education and Hong Kong’s transformations with the Hong Kong Public Libraries to review the historical development of TWGHs’ public services.

Maintaining a massive operational and service network and meeting the urgent needs of Hong Kong require the Group to innovate its fund-raising approach and develop more effective donation channels. This year, TWGHs will use their creative juices to design youthful digital fund-raising projects, such as holding charity auctions on NFT charity platforms to attract young donors. Faced with the unstable pandemic situation, the Group will carry on with fund-raising activities and donation schemes, in compliance with the Government’s anti-pandemic measures. As in the past, the Group will definitely not deduct administrative costs of fund-raising events from donations received, to ensure every cent donated will be used for the benefit of its charity work in honour of TWGHs’ pledge to serve Hong Kong society.

Mr. MA Ching Yeung, Philip, the Chairman, concluded, this auspicious year marks the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the HKSAR. As the pandemic recedes, Hong Kong’s steadfast spirit will see it through the rest of the storm as it prepares to rise to the opportunities of a new era. TWGHs has long been a reliable partner of the HKSAR. The Board of Directors 2022/2023 will take it upon themselves to uphold TWGHs’ century-long legacy. Through ever improving charity work, the Group will serve Hong Kong in the areas of medicine, education, community services, traditional services, and the transmission of historical and cultural legacy, contributing to a new and exciting chapter for Hong Kong.

For details of the biography of 2022/2023 Board Members, please visit

http://www.tungwah.org.hk/en/about/corporate-governance/board-of-directors/

Since its establishment in 1870, TWGHs has been all along upholding its mission “To heal the sick and to relieve the distressed; to care for the elderly and to rehabilitate the disabled; to promote education and to nurture the youngsters; and to raise the infant and to guide the youth.” Nowadays, TWGHs is the largest charitable organisation with the longest history in Hong Kong. For more than one and a half centuries, TWGHs has persistently pioneered and marked significant milestones in medical and health, education, community, preservation of historical and cultural heritage, and traditional services to fulfill the needs of the society and to provide the public with high quality services at low rates or for free. Today, TWGHs operates 357 services units, including 5 hospitals and 37 Chinese and Western medicine services units, 60 education services units, 229 community services units that cover elderly, youth and family, rehabilitation, social enterprises and social innovation services, 2 records and heritage service units, namely, Tung Wah Museum and TWGHs Maisy Ho Archives and Relics Centre that aim to protect and preserve local traditional culture and history, as well as 24 traditional service units, offering funeral and burial services, and temple and ritualistic services.

 

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 For media enquiry, please contact: 2859 7452 Corporate Communications Division of TWGHs

Photo 1: Mr. MA Ching Yeung, Philip, (first row, right 2), Chairman of Tung Wah Group of Hospitals (2022/2023), and his fellow Members of the Board taking the oath of office.

Photo 2: Mr. TAM Chun Kwok, Kazaf (Left), Chairman of Tung Wah Group of Hospitals (2021/2022), handed over the title deeds and seals to Mr. MA Ching Yeung, Philip (Right), Chairman of Tung Wah Group of Hospitals (2022/2023).

Photo 3: Tung Wah Group of Hospitals Board of Directors 2022/2023