New Delhi: The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) jointly organised the 1st Asia Summit on Global Health (ASGH) at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on Wednesday.
Senior government officials, investors, business leaders, academicians, financial and professional service providers, and medical experts of Asia attended the opening ceremony to provide a one-stop international platform for exchange and collaboration between the healthcare, investment, business, and technology sectors.
The theme, Shaping a Resilient and Sustainable Future, focused on sharing ideas to facilitate the latest technological developments and investment opportunities in the healthcare sector. “The outbreak of the coronavirus highlighted problems in the public healthcare system and highlighted the need for seamless cross-border collaboration in healthcare,” the official statement read.
Chairman of the HKTDC, Dr. Peter K.N. Lam, said, “Since 2020, the world is fighting not only one of the biggest health crises in decades but also economic and social challenges due to the pandemic. Thankfully, we have seen the power of innovation and collaboration, as the world came together to develop vaccines at an unprecedented speed.”
“As Asia emerges as an increasingly important player in the global health landscape, Hong Kong has also been recognised as the ideal platform for research and business development in the global healthcare industry,” he added.
World Health Organization (WHO) Chief Scientist Dr. Soumya Swaminathan said at the opening ceremony, “We can learn many things from this pandemic, and they should be applied to prevent future pandemics and strengthen our health systems. That is what this conference will address. Some key learnings include the need for agile and resilient health systems, comprising an adequate and well-trained workforce, along with strong communities.”
“Though medicines, medical products and technologies, and digital tools have played a big role, nations should develop a holistic plan, so these digital technologies help supplement and complement the delivered services to accelerate goal targets of sustainable development,” she added.
The First Eastern Investment Group Chairman and CEO Victor Chu chaired a panel discussion where the panelists shared views on the development of the healthcare industry in the post-pandemic world and discussed future opportunities in the health sector through virtual and in-person presence.
(Avya Mathur)