Chief Executive of Queen Mary Hospital, York Chow Yat-ngok, was appointed the SAR's new secretary for health, welfare and food on Friday.

Announcing the central government's approval of the appointment, Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa said a top priority for the new health chief was to prevent and fight against further outbreaks of communicable diseases.

Appearing together with Chow at a press conference in the evening, Tung appealed to all sectors of the community to support Chow in building a caring and healthy society.

"The work of the Health, Welfare and Food Bureau, including medical services, social welfare and food hygiene, has a close bearing on the daily lives of Hong Kong people. Our first priority must be to prevent and fight against further outbreaks of communicable diseases," Tung said.

He said the recent outbreak of such diseases in several countries in the Southeast Asian region was a reminder of the importance attached to Chow's duties.

"Dr Chow is a professional in the medical field. He has wide knowledge and experience in policy formulation and management. He has also participated in the social welfare services. I have great confidence that he will be able to meet the new challenges ahead and carry out his work successfully," Tung said.

Chow will assume office next Tuesday, succeeding Yeoh Eng-kiong who resigned in July over his handling of the SARS outbreak last year.

Chow admitted that the road ahead will not be smooth sailing.

"It is a huge responsibility, particularly to ensure the underprivileged can enjoy equal opportunities and quality life," Chow said.

Chow said that among his priorities were to render effective support and services to the elderly, the disabled, the chronically-ill and families disadvantaged by poverty, adding that he would listen to the public on major issues.

"There is also a need to protect our society through the early detection and control of infectious diseases transmitted either by humans or animals or other vectors, and by maintaining the current high standard of healthcare with affordable fees," he said.

Chow disclosed it took him two whole days to agree to taking up the challenge although he had discussed it with Tung at length over the past month to better understand the chief executive's expectations of him.

"Tung is my senior and the public are my boss. If they think I am not up to the job, there is a mechanism for me to step down," Chow said.

An immediate task before Chow is the financing of Hong Kong's healthcare system.

In a statement welcoming Chow's appointment, Hospital Authority (HA) Chief Executive William Ho said they looked forward to collaborating with Chow to find a practical solution to the issue.

"The HA has been hard hit by SARS. It has to step up its infection control measures while at the same time meeting mammoth medical needs brought about by an aging population and the escalating cost of new drugs and medical technologies," Ho said.

"The Authority will continue to work cohesively and continue to enhance its operational efficiency and clinical outcomes. However, the current financial deficit could not be continued in the long run," he said.

Ho said better public-private collaboration was needed for the overall improvement of Hong Kong's healthcare services.

Commenting on Chow's appointment, Public Doctors Association President Wong Tak-cheung said it was necessary for him to find a way to reduce the workload of doctors and medical staff in addition to answering the question of healthcare financing.

(China Daily HK Edition October 9, 2004)