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Pg 3: Inauguration Ceremony Conferences |
Public Lecture Series This year, AMSAHK was proud to have invited two respected health professionals - Dr. Chan Sze-Tong (陳思堂醫生), CEO of World Vision (世界宣明會), and Dr. Lo Wing-Lok (勞永樂醫生), Ex-Legco member - to speak at our well-attended public lecture series. Click to read about Dr. Chan Sze-Tong and Dr. Lo Wing-Lok's inspiring speeches. Healing in Another Dimension with Director of World Vision International, Dr. Chan Sze-Tong
Dr Chan shared with us the why, what and how of his life- the intellectual, emotional and spiritual reasons that motivate him to reach out beyond the comfort of Hong Kong to appreciate the social problems prevalent in many parts of the world; his ministry with World Vision International in alleviating the effects of povery on children, promoting sustainable development, and empowering people to improve their own living standards, and how these experiences have inspired in him the belief that every individual can make a difference - "if you make the world better in one way you make the world better in every way." A neurosurgeon by training, Dr Chan left his private practice at the peak of his career in 1996 to take up the dual roles of CEO of World Vision Hong Kong and World Vision China. Having seen for himself the great divide between developing and developed countries - how most of the world's population was threatened by health problems that were easily solved in places like Hong Kong, how the rural poor in China had nil access to the healthcare system... he felt there was more that he could do on a global perspective. As a Christian, this was a path that brought joy and meaning to his life.
Dr Chan admitted that his job as Area Director had its challenges - in charge of World Vision's work in countries such as North Korea, Mongolia, Laos, Vietnam, and China, he was responsible for an annual budget of 1 billion US dollars! It was important to trust and depend on his team and communicate with them through telephone conferences and monthly visits. In his concluding remarks, Dr Chan shared with us a quote from Mother Theresa, "We can do no great things, only small things with great love." With his amazing life example, Dr Chan truly showed us the world, the need for self-reflection and lifelong learning, and most importantly, how we too could perpetuate change for the better of the world.
On April 2, the second of the Public Lecture Series: "The Road Less Travelled: Beyond the Clinic and Hospital" was held at the Prince of Wales Hospital. To our great delight, we were able to invite Dr Lo Wing-Lok, specialist in Infectious Diseases and Chairman of People's Health Actions. A renowned public health advocate, Dr Lo showed us how to offer more than just a prescription or surgical operation to patients. Famous for his work in the control and prevention of infectious diseases, food safety and tobacco control, Dr Lo was among the first and strongest proponents of culling all live poultry - the measure that eventually stopped the 1997 H5N1 bird flu outbreak in Hong Kong. His extensive participation in medical and council bodies and experience as a member of the Legislative Council and President of the Hong Kong Medical Association from 2000 to 2004 showed him pertinent problems in Hong Kong that could not changed by a doctor confined within the hospital or clinic. Dr Lo alerted our attention to the role of the physician in society on a larger scale: not only are we important in promoting public health on a community basis, but in influencing Government policies that concern the welfare of Hong Kong people. He shared with us his views on issues ranging from Hong Kong's current healthcare system to the allocation of Government resources to the poverty gap, and discussed with us different perspectives, providing a sharp analysis of the problems that face Hong Kong now and in the future.
The 60 minutes passed within a blink of the eye as ideas were rapidly hurled across the lecture theatre, and we were brought into a world where the scope of a physician had no boundaries, where we had the responsibility to alert the public to prevalent illnesses and where it was everyone's responsibility to speak up regarding Government policies. As Gandhi once said, "you must be the change you want to see in the world." Dr Lo's passion and candor exposed us to a novel perspective and, by introducing us to entirely new possibilities, showed us what it was like to heal on a larger scale. http://www.amsahk.org |
© 2008 Asian Medical Students' Association Hong Kong (AMSAHK)
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