Strengthening education, research and clinical services and creating value for primary healthcare in the GBA
UMP Healthcare Holdings Limited (“UMP” or the“Group”; SEHK stock code:722) is pleased to announce that its UMP Charity Foundation Limited (“UMP Charity Foundation”) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (“MOU”) with the Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care (“JCSPHPC”)of the Faculty of Medicine at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (“CUHK”) on 21 April 2021 to establish a strategic partnership in enhancing primary healthcare in the Greater Bay Area (“GBA”).
Signed by Dr. Sun Yiu Kwong, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of UMP and Director of UMP Charity Foundation, and Professor Samuel Wong, Director of JCSPHPC, the MOU provides a framework for collaboration to promote the development of an Asia-specific evidence-based medicine platform for primary healthcare doctors and nurses, at the same time providing them with hands-on resources and providing international perspectives on training and assessment, with the aim to enhance the quality of clinical services of primary healthcare and family medicine in the GBA.
There will be arrangements put in place for funding to establish innovative primary healthcare-based research projects in Hong Kong and Mainland China, aiming to provide policy makers with new directions to further enhance primary healthcare provision.
Dr. Sun Yiu Kwong, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of UMPand Director of UMP Charity Foundation, commented, “UMP has been a pioneer in nurturing family doctors and nurses to provide patient-centred care to the general population. Our collaboration withJCSPHPCmarks another key milestone to this end by further demonstrating our strong commitment to improving consultation skills of family medicine professionals, and in turn enhancing public confidence and trust in the quality of community-based primary healthcare in the GBA. We are excited to see the growth and transformation of family medicine professionals to create further value for our society.”
Dr. Kenny Kung, Senior Vice President, Chief Training Officer and Chief Medical Director of UMP Healthcare China Limited, commented, “Over these last 5 years, UMP has been contributing towards the development of Mainland primary care training through UMP’s General Practice Oriented Learning and Development (“GOLDTM”)Training Program, gaining recognition from both frontline doctors and government officials.A target of 10,000 trainees is expected to be enrolled inthe GOLDTM Training Program in 3 years leveraging support of the collaboration.In order to support the increasing demand and ensure that the program is robust, contribution from academic institutions is essential. The establishment of UMP Charity Foundation and collaboration with CUHK creates a unique opportunity to bring in resources for Mainland China’s primary care development. We anticipate this collaboration to increase research opportunities in Hong Kong by utilising big data from Mainland China, develop new primary service models in Mainland China with a potential for enhancing cross-border medical services, and at the same time enhancing the knowledge and capabilities of Mainland China’s primary healthcare professionals, thus in the long run raising the quality of healthcare services across the GBA.”
Professor Samuel Wong, Director of JCSPHPC,commented,“The quality offamily doctors and nurseshas undisputable importance in reshaping the landscape of theprimary healthcaresector in the GBA. The MOU lays a solid foundation for us to collaborate withUMP Charity Foundationto jointly organise family medicine training programmes and research, reflecting our shared belief of strengthening education, research and clinical services of primary healthcare in the GBA, as we trust that academic and corporate collaboration is crucial to the healthy development of the overall primary healthcare ecosystem.”