Jockey Club Cancer Rehabilitation Centre provides east-meet-west medical options

23 April 2010

Cancer is the number one killer in Hong Kong, causing a heavy burden on the city's medical system as well as much grief and heartbreak to the families involved.  The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust has donated about HK$110 million to The Hong Kong Anti-Cancer Society to convert the former Nam Long Hospital at Wong Chuk Hang into the Jockey Club Cancer Rehabilitation Centre, aiming to provide high quality, integrated Western and Chinese medical services for patients at different stages of cancer and support to their families.  

Today (23 April), Club Chairman Dr John C C Chan joined Secretary for Food and Health Dr York Chow, Executive Councillor Dr the Hon Leong Che-hung and Chairman of The Hong Kong Anti-Cancer Society, Dr Ko Wing-man, to perform the official opening of the Centre.

Dr Chan observed that the Club had always attached great importance to public healthcare and the quality of life.  Examples of the Club's significant contributions to healthcare services over past years included the funding of numerous Jockey Club clinics in the 1950s, the creation of the Centre for Health Protection after the SARS outbreak in 2003, and the establishment of The CUHK Jockey Club Bowel Cancer Education Centre in recent years.

"Every year, there's an average of more than 20,000 confirmed cases of cancer," Dr Chan said.  "We want to thank the Society for its efforts in establishing this Cancer Rehabilitation Centre, which provides ample and timely medical services to patients and their families, as well as an alternative option to the public healthcare system."

The Jockey Club Cancer Rehabilitation Centre operates on a self-financing but not-for-profit basis.  It offers emotional, physical and social support to cancer patients and their families through a multi-disciplinary team of professionals including doctors, physiotherapists, dietitians, Chinese medicine practitioners and pharmacists.  It also organises a range of recreational activities and provides a "home away from home" environment to help cancer patients recover.

Special emphasis is placed on the integration of Western and Chinese medical treatments, with patients being offered a wider range of treatment options through the Centre's Chinese and Western inpatient rehabilitation programmes.  Its Traditional Chinese Medicine Centre provides services for both inpatients and outpatients.

In total, the Centre has 110 beds available for inpatient services, day care rehabilitation services and respite care, meetings the demands of patients at different stages of cancer treatment.

125th Anniversary of The Hong Kong Jockey Club

Founded in 1884, The Hong Kong Jockey Club is celebrating its 125th Anniversary in 2009/10 season.  Over the past 125 years, it has become one of Hong Kong's best known and respected organisations, providing the public with world-class sporting entertainment as well as being the city's major non-Government community benefactor, now donating more than HK$1 billion a year to charitable and community projects.  It has been a part of Hong Kong through good times and bad, sharing the city's growth and development with its people, and is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for future generations.