Press Release - July 18, 2003

The total transparency of government policy of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government, the professionalism of its medical and healthcare workers, its unity of purpose, and the solid support of its community represent a story of Hong Kong’s immense courage and resilience in the fight against SARS.

This was stated by the Permanent Secretary for Home Affairs, Ms. Shelley Lee, of the HKSAR Government today (July 18) during her visit in Vancouver.

Addressing at the luncheon entitled “The Human Side of the SARS Outbreak in Hong Kong” co-organized by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (Canada) and the Chinese Entrepreneur Society of Canada, Ms. Lee shared with the Vancouver community her personal experience and thoughts on the human aspects in the fight against SARS in Hong Kong.

“Every generation produces its heroes, often through tragic or reluctant circumstances and SARS has produced our very own,” said the Permanent Secretary.

She cited such heroes as the late Dr. Joanna Tse Yuen-man, Dr. Kate Cheng and others who made the ultimate sacrifice by volunteering to work in SARS wards and losing their young lives in the process, noting that they had in reality redefined the meaning of “volunteerism” for the Hong Kong people.

While on the subject, she expressed her thankfulness to the professors at the University of Hong Kong and the Chinese University of Hong Kong for the speedy identification of the new variant of the coronavirus which was later proved to be the infectious agent of the SARS outbreak and their heroic efforts to care for their patients and alert the community to SARS’ onslaught. She was also grateful to the city’s healthcare workers for their extreme professionalism. She was, in particular, proud of the excellence of Hong Kong’s research community, stating that to date, Hong Kong accounts for about 50% of the total number of scientific papers published on SARS.

During the SARS outbreak, which has become a global issue, mutual support had played an important role in fighting against this common enemy. On this, Ms. Lee emphasized that mutual cooperation is the only effective way to combat this new global health threat and she assured that Hong Kong is determined to maintain the transparency of its policy and system.

“Hong Kong’s determination to learn quickly from our experience from others is obvious from the speedy establishment of the SARS Expert Committee which, operates independently through two groups leaded by international experts: Sir Cyril Chandler and Professor Sian Griffiths and that we and indeed the world, await the outcome of the Expert Committee’s findings,”

The SARS Expert Committee was appointed by the Chief Executive, Mr. Tung Chee-Hwa, in May to review the management and control of the SARS outbreak in Hong Kong. Yesterday, Mr. Tung announced that Dr. E.K. Yeoh, Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food, will no longer chair the Committee, but will continue to facilitate it.

In the course of the SARS battle, Ms. Lee was deeply impressed with the strength and resilience shown by the families affected by SARS, especially by the single parents and their children. She noted that these children, by their sheer resilience, reflect the spirit of Hong Kong, as well as the human spirit.

Ms. Lee also told the guests that Hong Kong people from all walks of life had witnessed numerous small miracles which included raising HK$150 million to help those who were affected by SARS. Within this sum was $76 million for the “We Care Education Fund” raised for children who had lost a parent or both to SARS. Ms. Lee is one of the co-founders of the Fund.


For further information please contact: Senior Information Officer, Ms. Elison Chu at 416-924-5544 / email: [email protected] or
Catherine Yuen, Principal Consultant, Communications at 604-331-1300, email [email protected].