The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University (FAH-SYSU) signed a collaboration framework agreement with the Hong Kong Hospital Authority at a ceremony on March 13.

The two sides agreed to foster mutual exchanges and collaborate in various areas such as medical talents training and clinical research, with an aim to contribute to the development of healthcare sector in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA).

FAH-SYSU and the Hong Kong Hospital Authority will conduct exchanges and visits on topics of common interests, including hospital management and hospital service improvement. At the same time, the two sides agreed to establish channels and mechanisms to foster bilateral exchanges of healthcare professionals and management personnels to enhance talent nurturing and development. They will also explore collaboration in other fields, such as clinical research.

FAH-SYSU will first send doctors, and nurses in the future to Hong Kong for exchanges. "Hong Kong's well-developed training system for doctors is a great help in promoting the reform of the medical talent training system of mainland. In future, the collaboration in talent training can be expanded to the collaboration between hospitals, medical schools, and universities. Therefore, we can jointly explore innovative models for cultivating high-quality medical talents of the GBA," said Xiao Haipeng, Executive Vice President of Sun Yat-sen University and President of FAH-SYSU.

According to Lo Chung-mau, Secretary for Health of the Hong Kong SAR Government, the collaboration will greatly promote the integrated development of medical care in the GBA and the training of medical talents. He revealed that the Hospital Authority is moving forward with the second phase of the "GBA Healthcare Talents Visiting Programme"  in collaboration with the Health Commission of Guangdong Province, which is expected to bring more than 100 healthcare professionals from Guangdong to Hong Kong for exchanges in different specialties.

In recent years, FAH-SYSU has developed close relations and cooperation with medical institutions in Hong Kong and Macao. FAH-SYSU and the Hong Kong Hospital Authority started medical talents exchanges according to the previously launched "GBA Healthcare Talents VisitingProgramme".

FAH-SYSU also became the second batch of designated medical institutions in February last year according to the "Hong Kong and Macao Medicine and Equipment Connect" policy, which provide residents in the GBA a convenient access to the latest international medicines and equipment.

In February, FAH-SYSU and its Nansha Division were included in the list of pilot medical institutions under Hong Kong's Health Care Voucher Pilot Scheme in the GBA with the service expected to start in the second half of this year.

In recent years, FAH-SYSU received thousands of Hong Kong patients each year, with more than 6,000 Hong Kong patients last year, of whom more than 2,500 were over 65. In addition, its Nansha Division has also provided convenient medical services to Hong Kong patients since it began operations at the end of March last year.