The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, today (August 8) inspected Queen Mary Hospital’s work on the establishment of the Integrated Cardiovascular Diseases Centre. The Centre is expected to enhance the integrated treatment services for cardiovascular diseases, offering more prompt and appropriate one-stop consultation services for cardiovascular diseases to patients.
 
     Accompanied by the Cluster Chief Executive of Hong Kong West Cluster of the Hospital Authority (HA), Dr Theresa Li, Professor Lo and the Under Secretary for Health, Dr Libby Lee, met with healthcare staff of various specialties of the Centre and received a briefing on the progress of setting up the Centre. They also visited the Accident and Emergency Department, Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory and Coronary Care Unit at the Hospital.
 
     With an ageing population, cardiovascular diseases became one of the three leading causes of death in Hong Kong. Queen Mary Hospital currently handles a large number of patients with cardiovascular diseases every year, among which about 1 500 patients are with acute chest pain symptoms, who are mostly being jointly followed up by different specialties. Establishing the Integrated Cardiovascular Diseases Centres can optimise the diagnosis process and enhance the treatment effectiveness, as such improving the survivorship of patients.
 
     Professor Lo said, “the Chief Executive set out the establishment of the Integrated Cardiovascular Diseases Centres by the HA in last year’s Policy Address. Queen Mary Hospital will be the first hospital to set up such centre.
 
     "I would like to express my gratitude to the healthcare teams of various specialties of Queen Mary Hospital for sparing no effort in setting up the Integrated Cardiovascular Diseases Centre. I am also pleased to learn that the teams have planned and gradually implemented relevant preparatory work, including conducting the pre-hospital 12-lead electrocardiogram in ambulances and sending the images immediately to the Accident and Emergency Department, providing POCT Troponin (POC-hs-cTnI) tests, expediting Cardiology specialist consultations, enhancing acute Cardiology wards and promoting multi-disciplinary collaboration, providing one-stop services to cardiovascular disease patients, so as to improve the diagnosis and treatment process of cardiovascular diseases. With the efforts of the teams, I have every confidence that the high-quality development of the diagnosis cardiovascular diseases can be pressed forward and members of the public can be benefited."

Ends/Tuesday, August 8, 2023
Issued at HKT 22:34

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