Senior Government Appointments
Arts & Cultural Project Announced
CEPA Annexes Signed
HKSAR Celebrates 6th Anniversary
SCIT on Closer HK-PRD Relations
New FS Outlines Plans
HK - The Freest Economy
New HKETO Director Arrives
Human Stories on SARS
CE Announces Tourism Strategy
Battle Plan for SARS Announced
Article 23 Withdrawn
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 “Every generation produces its heroes, often through tragic or reluctant circumstances, and SARS has produced our very
own,"
said Ms Shelley Lee, Permanent Secretary for Home Affairs of the HKSAR Government when she visited Vancouver in July.
Speaking at a luncheon entitled “The Human Side of the SARS Outbreak in Hong
Kong", co-organized by the HKETO and the Chinese
Entrepreneur Society of Canada, Ms Lee shared her personal experience and insights on the human aspects of Hong Kong’s fight
against SARS.
Ms Lee cited heroes such as Dr Joanna Tse Yuen-man, Dr Kate Cheng and others who volunteered to work in SARS wards and lost
their lives as a result. They had, she said, redefined the meaning of “volunteerism".
She expressed her gratitude to the professors at the University of Hong Kong and the Chinese University of Hong Kong for
their speedy identification of the new variant of the coronavirus which was later proved to be the infectious agent of the
SARS outbreak, and for their heroic efforts to care for their patients and alert the community. Ms Lee was grateful, too, to
the city’s healthcare workers for their extreme professionalism and Hong Kong’s research community, which presently accounts
for about half of the scientific papers published about SARS.
Ms Lee also emphasized the importance of co-operation, saying it is the only effective way to combat this new global health
threat. She assured her audience that Hong Kong will maintain the transparency of its policy and system. For example, the
Hong Kong SARS Expert Committee, appointed by the Hong Kong Chief Executive, Mr Tung Chee Hwa, is reviewing the management
and control of the SARS outbreak in Hong Kong.
Many small miracles arose from the harsh challenges of SARS. Ms Lee pointed to the strength and resilience of families
affected by SARS and commended the efforts of Hong Kong people to raise funds in their support. The “We Care Education
Fund"
co-founded by Ms Lee, raised HK$76 million for children who have lost one or both parents to SARS.
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