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The HealthTech Forum 2020 was held by the HealthTech Centre of the Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education (IVE) (Kwai Chung) on 23 June (Tuesday) to promote the development of local health technologies via cross-sector collaboration. Close to 20 academics, representatives of social service organisations and healthcare experts from Hong Kong and other countries/regions shared the latest developments of health technologies in different places and exchanged views on how technologies could be utilised to enhance quality of life of the elderly. Exhibition booths were also featured onsite to showcase the latest health technologies. Themed “HealthTech for Community”, the HealthTech Forum 2020 was held in both physical and virtual formats simultaneously. Officiating at the Forum, Dr LEONG Che-hung, President of the Hong Kong Anti-Cancer Society and Chairman of the Hong Kong AIDS Foundation mentioned in his Opening Remarks that the World Health Organization defined “Health Technology” as the application of organised knowledge and skills to solve a health problem and improve quality of lives. He further pointed out that the use of health technologies in the medical field could help improve the outcome of medical treatment, enhance the quality of life of the ageing population as well as controlling infectious diseases. In particular, its impact on improving quality of life of the ageing population was most obvious. Making good use of technology could help the elderly regain confidence to live comfortably and healthily. In the Welcoming Address, Mr Tony TAI Chark-tong, Chairman of the Vocational Training Council (VTC), remarked that all nations were actively developing health technologies and promoting the concepts across the community to strengthen health education and disease prevention, and provide reliable healthcare services to needy people, thereby relieving the pressure of the medical system. He added that the Forum had provided a platform for industry practitioners to drive innovative health technologies and share successful experiences. Keynote speeches of the first session revolved around the development and application of Health Technology in the community. Dr FUNG Hong, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the CUHK Medical Centre, explored with Forum attendees the planning work of a smart hospital, while Professor Paul CHAMBERLAIN, Founder and Director of Lab4Living of Sheffield Hallam University (UK), Dr Wolfgang KRATKY, Innovation Manager of Telecare and Telemedicine of Geriatric Health Centres of the City of Graz (GGZ) (Austria), and other experts also offered their insights on the design and application of Health Technology in the community, including sharing the telecare solutions in elderly care in European countries. The Forum also featured a range of thematic talks to facilitate an in-depth exploration of how health technologies were leveraged by different professions to enhance the well-being of the community. In addition, a number of speakers from the healthcare industry shared how technologies like smart homecare and artificial intelligence could be applied to medical facilities and healthcare services. In the thematic session entitled “Happy and Healthy Ageing”, Dr Winnie WONG Wan-chi, VTC expert of Nutrition and Dietetics and Lecturer of the Department of Applied Science of IVE (Kwai Chung), introduced to Forum attendees how to use 3D printing technologies to prepare foods that were both eye-pleasing and nutritious for creating a new dining experience for the elderly. Separately, Dr CHAN Wai-chi, Clinical Associate Professor of the Department of Psychiatry in the University of Hong Kong also shed light on the relationship between happiness and ageing, and shared ways to take care of moods. A HealthTech Exhibition was also in place at the Forum to showcase the healthtech-related research outcomes of over ten organisations from the healthcare and healthtech industries. People joining the Forum via video conferencing were also able to take a virtual tour of the exhibition online. Details of the HealthTech Forum 2020 are available at: http://www.healthtechforum.org/ Established in 2017, the HealthTech Centre located at IVE (Kwai Chung) aims to promote the application of health technologies, raise the health awareness in the community, and support the development of healthcare-related vocational and professional education and training (VPET). Equipped with advanced and professional healthcare facilities, the Centre keeps aspiring young people abreast of the latest industry development and technology with a view to nurturing industry talent, and promoting knowledge exchange and technology transfer among the healthcare industry for driving the application of health technologies. The Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education (IVE) is a member of the VTC Group. The nine IVE campuses provide vocational and professional education and training for secondary graduates as well as people in employment. IVE courses leading to the award of Higher Diploma and Diploma of Foundation Studies cover various academic disciplines including Applied Science; Business; Childcare, Elderly and Community Services; Design; Information Technology; Engineering; Hospitality, as well as Interdisciplinary Programmes. Website: www.ive.edu.hk Media Enquiries: 2836 1790 / 2836 1046 |
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