International Conference on Promoting Chronic Care

I am pleased to address this International Conference on Promoting Chronic Care, which also celebrates the golden anniversary of the Hong Kong Society for Rehabilitation and the 15th anniversary of its Community Rehabilitation Network.

Noncommunicable diseases, disability and degenerative diseases will represent a greater portion of the disease spectrum in the years to come in the Western Pacific Region, as they will in many other parts of the world. There needs to be paradigm shift in the way we perceive chronic care, which has been guided mostly by communicable disease management and acute care. Noncommunicable diseases demand lifelong management and support and efforts focused on the continuous improvement in quality of life.

This is the reason the work of the Hong Kong Society of Rehabilitation and other efforts to support care in the community and help people to get back to active and productive lives are so important.

Currently, about 26 500 people die every day from chronic noncommunicable diseases in the Region, with over 20 000 of these occurring in the Region's developing countries. In addition, noncommunicable diseases sometimes strike people at the peak of their productive lives leading to substantial loss of productivity and quality of life.

Chronic diseases need a continuum of care ——- starting with risk reduction, early detection and management, referral care, follow-up, and rehabilitation. Today, primary health care is more important than at any other time, and coverage, equity and access should guide chronic care models.

The patient and his or her family should be part of the decision-making process in chronic care. WHO has emphasized the importance of people-centred health care in our Region. People-centred care means just that: putting the patient –– and not the health system or the doctor –– first. Potential gains of such an approach include increased patient safety, improved adherence to care plans, improved health outcomes and increased patient satisfaction. And we hope that everyone can build on this important concept in chronic disease care. Women with chronic diseases need special attention as they are the primary care-givers in a family.

Partnerships are key in developing chronic care strategies both partnerships within the health services and between providers and the patient and community.

Local governments are well placed to address most of these challenges. With relatively manageable populations, and better coordination of local ministries and departments, a city, municipality, island or village administration is best suited to help the population. WHO is observing this year’s World Health Day with the theme of "Healthy urbanization". Healthy cities and other settings, such as healthy islands, healthy villages and healthy workplaces, should become the avenues for delivery health promotion and chronic care.

Community-based rehabilitation is an approach that will help sustainable services in the community and can be applied to different levels of resource setting. As a WHO collaborating centre, the Hong Kong Society for Rehabilitation has worked extensively in this area and has supported WHO’s work.

WHO stands committed with all of you and our Member States in supporting and promoting chronic care. Once again, I would like to congratulate the Hong Kong Society of Rehabilitation on its 50th anniversary and the 15th anniversary of the Community Rehabilitation Network. We need more partners, like the Hong Kong Society, to address this important agenda.

I thank the organizers for giving WHO an opportunity to be part of this important conference and wish you all a healthy and fruitful deliberation.

Thank you.