The Future of Healthcare – Golden Opportunities in Healthcare
How Do You Shape and Contribute to the Future of Healthcare? What Makes a Great Doctor?
“No matter what your role is, you can change our future.” – Dr. Deacons Yeung
“A great doctor is an effective self-learner with a caring heart and team spirit.” – Prof. Raymond Liang
“Ageing in place is the key approach to social development, offering many opportunities to professionals in different fields.” – Mr. James Chan
“Healthcare is people-oriented. It is a science and an art.” – Prof. Justin C. Y. Wu
The second instalment of the 170th Anniversary Seminar Series, jointly organised by St. Paul's College and Asia Society Hong Kong Center, was held on 9 March. It attracted over 3,600 participants who gained insights into the topic “The Future of Healthcare – Golden Opportunities in Healthcare”.
The event brought together four alumni, including Dr. Deacons Yeung (SPC ’85) – Director (Cluster Services), Hospital Authority, Prof. Raymond Liang, SBS, JP (SPC ’74) – Head, Department of Medicine, Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital, and Mr. James Chan (SPC ’88) – Chief Executive Officer & Executive Director, Hong Kong Housing Society, as speakers, and Prof. Justin C. Y. Wu (SPC ’86) – Associate Dean (Health Systems) of Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong as moderator. They shed light on the mega trends and challenges in healthcare, the amazing opportunities ahead and the core traits of healthcare professionals.
Dr. Yeung stressed the importance of cross-disciplinary efforts in shaping the healthcare landscape. No matter what your role is, you can change our future. For instance, smart hospitals are built with new technologies and expertise in construction, engineering, operation and other fields in addition to the indispensable input from medical professionals.
Ageing population, coupled with an increasing incidence of chronic diseases and mood disorders, has given rise to problems in the healthcare system. Prof. Liang explained the shortage of manpower and rising costs caused by the increasingly complex medical procedures and huge patient demand for resources. Mr. Chan pointed out that ageing in place is the key approach to social development through cross-sector collaboration. Mr. Chan also encouraged young people to tap into the career opportunities in different fields such as occupational therapy, social work, property management, etc.
According to Prof. Liang, a great doctor is an effective self-learner with a caring heart, communication skills and team spirit who mentors the next generation and participates in research to advance existing knowledge. Prof. Wu added that healthcare is a science and an art, with empathy being the most important trait of a great doctor. Apart from studying, volunteering and experiential learning can also enlighten students. The alumni all attributed their accomplishments to the heritage of St. Paul’s College in nurturing students to be socially responsible leaders. Over the past four decades, about 400 alumni became doctors with significant contributions to society.