Education Sector Encouraged to Promote Blood Donation Among Youth in Hong Kong

The Secretary for Education leads delegation of secondary school principals to visit Hong Kong Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

To enhance awareness of blood donation within the academic community and to encourage youth participation, the Hong Kong Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service (BTS) invited the Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, and the delegation of associations of secondary school heads to the BTS Headquarters today (November 7). The delegation toured the blood bank, laboratories, donor centre and education vehicle. The BTS provided an overview of its blood donation education initiatives, and facilitated a dialogue on strategies for promoting blood donation within schools. Dr Choi and the members of the delegation also gave blood after the tour, setting a role model for students in Hong Kong.

In her opening remarks, Dr Choi said, "Blood donation not only helps those in need in the community but also cultivates in students the correct values and attitudes such as care for society, willingness to help, and respect for life, becoming good citizens. This year, 10 secondary schools are awarded the Elite Partnership Award in recognition of their exemplary efforts in cultivating a culture of blood donation on campus, which is truly commendable. The Education Bureau (EDB) appeals to the education sector to encourage more students to actively take part in blood donation." The EDB fully supports the BTS's efforts in blood donation education. Dr Choi added that it is heartening to see the BTS has introduced innovative blood donation education programmes, raising awareness of blood donation among youngsters.

The Chief Executive and Medical Director of the BTS, Dr Lee Cheuk-kwong, addressed that, "In an aging society, the recruitment of new blood donors is of paramount importance. Young donor education is prioritised in blood donation promotion." He added that, the BTS's educational initiatives integrate holistic education and life planning. For example, the "Learn About Blood Tour" launched in 2022 invited students to visit the Centre's blood bank to explore the blood production process and gain insights into the related medical and laboratory professions. Additionally, to cultivate a habit of regular blood donation, the BTS recognised young donors under 25 who have donated blood three or more times during campus donation events by presenting them with "Young Donor Medal". Furthermore, promotion vehicle was deployed to campus donation drives and school representatives were invited to visit featured donor centre, aiming to attract more young donors through diverse activities.

The BTS calls upon all members of the academia to continue supporting blood donation activities, and groom our next generation to be regular donors. For more information on academic blood donation programmes, please visit the BTS website: www.ha.org.hk/rcbts.

The Secretary for Education leads delegation of secondary school principals to visit Hong Kong Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The Secretary for Education leads delegation of secondary school principals to visit Hong Kong Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The Secretary for Education leads delegation of secondary school principals to visit Hong Kong Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The Secretary for Education leads delegation of secondary school principals to visit Hong Kong Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

GBA legal sectors gather at DoJ's reception to call for expediting establishment of GBA lawyers' platform

The Department of Justice (DoJ) today (November 7) hosted the first Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) Lawyers Exchange Reception, bringing together more than 150 participants from the legal sectors of the Mainland, Macao and Hong Kong, including representatives from the Guangdong Lawyers Association, the lawyers associations of the nine Mainland municipalities in the GBA, the Macao Lawyers Association, and Hong Kong legal professional bodies, as well as many GBA lawyers and various Legislative Council Members, to discuss the work of promoting the construction of rule of law in the GBA.

The Director-General of the Department of Justice of Guangdong Province, Mr Chen Xudong, and the Director of the Legal Affairs Bureau of Macao Special Administrative Region Government, Ms Leong Weng-in, also attended the event.

The DoJ consulted various stakeholders on the work of the GBA. The GBA lawyers considered that it is necessary to establish a platform as soon as possible to facilitate exchanges and capacity building among them to enable the industry to better participate in the development of the GBA.

The Deputy Secretary for Justice, Mr Cheung Kwok-kwan, said that the establishment of the platform is not only an initiative in the Policy Address, but also an important measure in the DoJ's Action Plan on the Construction of Rule of Law in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. The platform aims to consolidate the professional strengths of the legal services in the GBA and foster mutual capacity development by leveraging the strengths of the GBA, thereby giving full play to the unique strengths of GBA lawyers and contributing to the high-quality development of the GBA.

Mr Cheung said it is an initial suggestion that the platform, with the GBA lawyers as key members, would serve three objectives:

(1) Promote training and professional exchanges among the GBA lawyers in a more systematic manner;

(2) Establish and develop the team of the GBA lawyers; and

(3) Build and promote the brand of GBA lawyers to contribute to the construction of foreign-related rule of law of the country.

He emphasised that once the details of the establishment of the platform are finalised, the DoJ looks forward to implementing the setting up as early as possible in response to the industry's strong demands.

He continued that the platform organisation, together with the Hong Kong International Legal Talents Training Academy to be launched shortly, will enable Hong Kong to fully harness the institutional strengths of the "one country, two systems" framework in response to the keen demands for the foreign-related legal talent in the region and beyond, and to grasp the opportunities in the GBA with a view to making greater contributions to the high-quality development of the country.

The Exchange Reception is one of the events on the fourth day, themed "Joint Contribution to the Construction of Rule of Law in the GBA" under Hong Kong Legal Week 2024.

GBA legal sectors gather at DoJ's reception to call for expediting establishment of GBA lawyers' platform Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases