The CUHK Jockey Club Myopia Prevention Programme Opening cum Awards Ceremony 2022 (‶Ceremony″) was held on 14 January 2023 at the CUHK Medical Centre with the Director of Health, Dr Ronald MK LAM, JP, and the Chairman of Hospital Authority, Mr Henry HL FAN, SBS, JP, as the Guests of Honour. Over 300 guests, including ophthalmologists, school principals, teachers, medical students, nursing students, secondary school students, community partners and volunteers, attended the Ceremony to celebrate the achievements of the Programme.
The CUHK Jockey Club Myopia Prevention Programme (‶CUHK JC MPP″), initiated by the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and funded by the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, is a new phase of the CUHK Hong Kong Children Eye Care Programme from 2015 to 2017 and the CUHK Jockey Club Children′s Eye Care Programme from 2018 to 2021. The present Programme was launched in October 2021 that covers six major areas of work, including children′s eye care service, public educational talks, children′s eye health workshops, outreach service, large-scale community health campaign and database establishment.
Professor Clement CY THAM, Chairman of the Department and Chairman of CUHK JC MPP′s Board of Directors, highlighted the key achievements of the Programme in the welcoming remarks, ‶The teamwork of the Programme is truly deserving of praise. The CUHK Jockey Club Myopia Prevention Programme along with its two predecessors (CUHK Hong Kong Children Eye Care Programme and CUHK Jockey Club Children′s Eye Care Programme), have united the effort of 108 ophthalmologists, 543 medical students, 112 nursing students, 3,022 secondary students and 711 volunteers of varying backgrounds. Our Programmes have provided free and comprehensive eye examinations for nearly 35,000 children. We also organised 354 public educational talks which were attended by over 34,200 parents, children, school teachers, and social workers. It is a remarkable achievement. We shall continue our efforts in the coming years.″
CUHK JC MPP is a three-year programme committed to providing free and comprehensive eye examination services for children of the ethnic minorities, with special educational needs, and from low-income families. Despite the outbreak of the fifth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2022, CUHK JC MPP conducted 41 children′s eye service days at weekends, providing free and comprehensive eye check-up for more than 3,800 children, including 1,000 children of the ethnic minorities, 500 children with special educational needs and 2,300 children from grassroots families from October 2021 to December 2022. In addition, 28 primary schools and 20 non-government organisations received our service. Also, during the first year, 16 public educational talks, attended by 3,244 families, were held under CUHK JC MPP.
Dr Jason CS YAM, Associate Professor of the Department and Director of CUHK JC MPP, shared the vision of the Programme, ‶Our Programme is founded and developed with the aspiration of safeguarding the visual health of our children in Hong Kong. We believe that every child in Hong Kong has an equal right to grow up healthily regardless of ethnicity, socio-economic status and learning abilities. I am glad that with the generous support from the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, our present Programme will serve up to 15,000 children, most of whom are less privileged. I am thankful that we can work hand-in-hand to protect the eyesight of our children. By early eye check-up, we can take precautions to prevent blindness.″
At the Ceremony, the ophthalmologists, eye care ambassadors, student ambassadors, volunteers, secondary schools and organisations participated in the Programme were presented with awards or appreciation certificates for recognition of their contribution to the success of the Programme.
Prof Calvin CP PANG, Professor of the Department and Vice-Chairman of CUHK JC MPP′s Board of Directors, concluded the Ceremony, ‶Promoting popularisation of children eye care is a long-term challenge. Medical and scientific research will never reach an end. We are much grateful that since 2015 our Pogrammes on safeguarding children′s eye health have received tremendous support from the medical sector, community, and general public. In addition to expressing our gratitude, it is also high time for us to have a broader outlook on the future development of our Programme. We shall continue our devoted work for the Programme to move on to new chapters in future.″
Guests of Honour | |
Director of Health, Department of Health, Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | Dr Ronald MK LAM, JP |
Chairman, Hospital Authority | Mr Henry HL FAN, SBS, JP |
Officiating Guests | |
Head of Charities (Healthy Community), The Hong Kong Jockey Club | Ms Imelda CHAN |
Pro-Vice-Chancellor / Vice-President (Alumni Relations & Advancement), CUHK | Prof Anthony TC CHAN |
Associate Vice-President, CUHK Head, New Asia College Associate Director (External Links) / Professor, School of Biomedical Sciences, CUHK |
Prof Hector SO CHAN |
Associate Dean (External Affairs), Faculty of Medicine, CUHK | Prof Philip WY CHIU |
Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, CUHK Medical Centre | Prof FUNG Hong, JP |
Chairman, CUHK DOVS Chairman, CUHK JC MPP′s Board of Directors |
Prof Clement CY THAM |
Professor, CUHK DOVS Vice-Chairman, CUHK JC MPP′s Board of Directors |
Prof Calvin CP PANG |
Associate Professor, CUHK DOVS Director of CUHK JC MPP |
Dr Jason CS YAM |
Chief Operating Officer, CUHK Medical Centre | Dr Jenny MY LAM |
Commissioner for Primary Healthcare, Health Bureau, Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | Dr PANG Fei Chau |
Vice-President (Professional Affairs), College of Ophthalmologists of Hong Kong | Dr YUNG Hon Wah |
Vice-President (General Affairs), College of Ophthalmologists of Hong Kong | Dr Emily FY YEUNG |
President, Hong Kong Association of Private Eye Surgeons | Dr Ruby HY CHING |
Donor, CUHK | Dr CHENG Pak Man |
Former Deputy Hospital Chief Executive, Hong Kong Eye Hospital | Prof LAM Nai Man |
Deputy Hospital Chief Executive (Professional Development & External Relations), Prince of Wales Hospital | Prof Alvin L YOUNG |
Deputy Hospital Chief Executive, Hong Kong Eye Hospital | Prof Hunter KL YUEN |
Former Chief of Service (Ophthalmology), Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital / Tung Wah Eastern Hospital | Dr KO Tak Chuen |
Chief of Service (Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences), Prince of Wales Hospital and Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital | Dr Wilson WK YIP |
Chief of Service, Hong Kong Eye Hospital | Prof Carmen KM CHAN |
Former Director, The Nethersole School of Nursing, CUHK | Prof CHAIR Sek Ying |
Group photos with Guests of Honour and Officiating Guests at the Opening Ceremony
Representatives from various organisations were presented with the plaque of appreciation.
Participating secondary schools were presented with plaque and certificates of appreciation.