Press Release - May 28, 2003

The Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) today (May 28) announced the membership of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) Experts Committee tasked to review the management and control of SARS outbreak in Hong Kong.

Nine international and local professionals and experts have been appointed as members of the Experts Committee. They are: Professor Sian Griffiths, Dr Meirion Evans, Professor Harvey Fineberg, Dr Jeffrey Koplan, Sir Cyril Chantler, Dr Sherene Devanesen, Mr John Wyn Owen, Professor Rosie Young and Professor Lee Shiu-hung.

Experts from the Mainland are being contacted and they will join the Committee when work starts.

The HKSAR Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food, Dr Yeoh Eng-kiong has been appointed as Chairman of the Experts Committee.

The Experts Committee will review the work of the HKSAR Government, including the HKSAR Hospital Authority, in the management and control of the outbreak.
It will also examine and review the capabilities and structure of the healthcare system in Hong Kong and the organisation and operation of the HKSAR Department of Health and the HKSAR Hospital Authority in the prevention and management of infectious diseases such as SARS.

Having regard to the experience gained in the recent SARS outbreak, the Experts Committee will identify lessons to be learnt, and to make recommendations on areas of improvements in order to better prepare our system for any future outbreaks.

"The members are highly reputable professionals of international standing, with a wealth of experience in their respective fields including health systems; public health; epidemiology and communicable disease control; medical expertise; and hospital management and operation," a HKSAR Government spokesman said.

"The review is expected to be completed by September so that our healthcare system can be better prepared to handle any future outbreak in the shortest possible period.

"The Experts Committee will submit to the HKSAR Chief Executive a report of findings and recommendations, which will be made known to the public.
"We are confident that the review will be widely accepted by the community in terms of comprehensiveness and ability to address issues of concern to them," the spokesman added.

Following is a membership list of the Experts Committee:

1. Professor Sian Griffiths
President
Faculty of Public Health Medicine
The Royal Colleges of Physicians
United Kingdom

Senior Fellow / Senior Clinical Lecturer in Public Health
Oxford University

Visiting Professor
Oxford Brookes University

Former Director of Public Health
Oxford Regional Health Authority


2. Dr Meirion Evans
Senior Lecturer
Dept of Epidemiology, Statistics and Public Health,
University of Wales College of Medicine
United Kingdom



Honorary Regional Epidemiologist
PHLS Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre (Wales)
United Kingdom

WHO SARS Expert Team Member
Perform an Assessment of SARS situation in Guangdong
Province in April and May 2003


3. Professor Harvey Fineberg
President
Institute of Medicine
National Academy of Sciences
United States of America

Former Provost
Harvard University
United States of America

Former Dean
Harvard School of Public Health
Harvard University
United States of America


4. Dr Jeffrey Koplan
Vice President for Academic Health Affairs
Emory University
United States of America

Former Director
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Atlanta, United States of America


5. Sir Cyril Chantler
Senior Associate
The King's Fund
London

Chairman
Board of the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS
Trust
United Kingdom

Former Dean of the Guy's, King's College
United Kingdom

Former Professor of Paediatric Nephrology
St. Thomas' Hospitals' Medical and Dental School
United Kingdom

Former Non-Executive Director
Guy's/Lewisham Trust and Guy's and St. Thomas' NHS Trust
United Kingdom

Former Unit General Manager
Guy's Hospital
United Kingdom

6. Dr Sherene Devanesen
President
Royal Australasian College of Medical Administrators
Australia

Chief Executive
Peninsula Health
Victoria
Australia

7. Mr John Wyn Owen
Secretary
The Nuffield Trust
United Kingdom

Senior Associate
The Judge Institute of Management
University of Cambridge

Former Director General
New South Wales Health
Australia

Former Chairman
The Australian Health Ministers' Advisory Council

Former Director of the NHS in Wales
United Kingdom

8. Professor Rosie Young
Former Chairman
Medical Council, Hong Kong

Former Pro-Vice-Chancellor
The University of Hong Kong

Former Head and Professor
Department of Medicine

The University of Hong Kong

9. Professor Lee Shiu-hung
Emeritus Professor of Community Medicine
Chinese University of Hong Kong

Former Director of Health
Hong Kong Government

Former Chairman and Professor
Department of Community Medicine
Chinese University of Hong Kong

Former Director
School of Public Health
Chinese University of Hong Kong

For updated information and latest news on respiratory tract infections, please visit the special home page on the subject at www.info.gov.hk/info/infection-e.htm, and the HKSAR Department of Health website at www.info.gov.hk/dh/ap.htm as well as the e-bulletin at www.news.gov.hk/en/index.shtml.