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The burden of
chronic noncommunicable diseases has increased
rapidly in the Western Pacific Region, and is
projected to increase further, placing enormous
pressures on communities, households, health services,
and national health budgets. This is a particular
concern for low- and middle-income countries.
To respond to this challenge, countries need to
strengthen health systems across the continuum
of care. Evidence-based strategies are required
to ensure that systems of care are designed to
meet the specific challenges of chronic diseases,
with priority given to prevention, early detection
and intervention, and effective disease control
through primary health care and patient engagement.
Many higher-income countries are now starting
to implement financing and structural reforms
to support these new patterns of care.
On behalf of the World Health
Organization, I take great pleasure to congratulate
the Hong Kong Society for Rehabilitation for organizing
the International Conference on Promoting Chronic
Care in celebration of the Society's 50th anniversary
and the 15th anniversary of its Community Rehabilitation
Network.
With the long-term commitment
of the Hong Kong Society for Rehabilitation and
its pioneer role in chronic disease self-management,
we are confident that the Conference will be of
great success and will provide an excellent opportunity
for participants to review the evidence, pool
their knowledge and experiences, devise solutions
suited to their own situations, and join hands
in working towards a community-based chronic care
model for Asia.
SHIN Young-Soo, MD, Ph.D.
Regional Director for the Western Pacific
World Health Organization
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The epidemic of chronic
diseases is sweeping through us. The World Health
Report 2007 indicates that chronic disease accounts
for 60% of the death and nearly half of the burden
of disease worldwide. People are suffered from
chronic diseases. The suffering has been further
aggravated by rapid urbanization, adoption of
unhealthy lifestyles, weakening of social network,
and diminishing social capital. As one can imagine,
these would bring serious economic and social
consequences to Hong Kong. We believe that the
same happens to the rest of the world. It is estimated
that over 70% of health care expenditure are consumed
in treating chronic diseases among the older persons.
Acute care programmes would no longer be adequate
for tackling the care for chronic diseases. Instead,
it calls for re-structuring of the existing health
care system by connecting patients, community,
and health care organizations, and closer integration
of the public and private sectors. It also calls
for the innovation and implementation of cost
effective behavioural and pharmacological interventions
to be delivered on a primary health care platform.
The management of chronic diseases has received
much attention in recent years. Common strategies
used include reinforcing self management, establishment
patient care team, and delivering patient education
programmes etc. The Community Rehabilitation Network
(CRN), since its inception in 1994, has set a
pioneer model for delivering rehabilitation services
outside hospital in Hong Kong. In the past years,
the CRN has paved its way to institute a full-fledged
community-based rehabilitation which stresses
on self-management, self-help, and active participation
of patients and their carers.
The International Conference on Promoting Chronic
Care, hosted by the Hong Kong Society for Rehabilitation
for celebrating its golden anniversary and the
15th anniversary of its Community Rehabilitation
Network, gives us a golden opportunity to reflect
and consolidate what we have done for providing
services for patient with chronic diseases. It
also provides an international forum for visioning
of and planning for new services which can effectively
interface across different sectors and disciplines
such as acute hospital services and community
based services. We anticipate delegates coming
from different parts of the world in particularly
the Asia region to share their expertise, thoughts,
feelings, and enthusiasms in how services can
offer the best for the benefits of the patients
with chronic diseases.
You are cordially invited to join us in January
2010. With your participation, this Conference
could be the most memorable and inspiring ever.
See you in Hong Kong!
Prof. Albert LEE
Chairman, Organizing Committee
International Conference on Promoting Chronic
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