ENG-2014 — Page 190

8

Health

Publicity and Education

The Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health (COSH), an independent statutory body, advises the government on smoking, passive smoking and health, and on publicising the hazards of smoking. The COSH conducts various publicity, education and community involvement campaigns. It also operates a website and a telephone hotline to receive enquiries and suggestions from the public on smoking and health. In 2014, the COSH's publicity and educational programmes attracted an attendance of about 240,000 people.

Smoking Cessation and Prevention of Youth Smoking

The TCO provides advice on how to quit smoking, counselling services and pharmaceutical treatment through various channels, including a hotline, clinics and an interactive online cessation centre. In 2014, over 13,000 telephone calls were received by the smoking cessation hotline. The TCO also broadcasts announcements on TV and radio, conducts seminars and issues health education materials to increase public awareness of the harmful effects of smoking and second-hand smoke. The TCO collaborates with a number of NGOs to run community-based smoking cessation programmes, including the use of Chinese medicine. acupuncture, peer-led phone counselling, smoking cessation services at the workplace, smoking cessation programmes for ethnic minorities and new immigrants and health promotional activities at schools to promote a smoke-free culture.

The HA provides smoking counselling and cessation services through its 10 full-time and 46 part-time 'Smoking Counselling and Cessation Centres. It also operates a telephone hotline providing booking and enquiry services for smokers who wish to quit smoking.

Disease Prevention and Control

The DH spent $2.6 billion on disease prevention and control at its maternal, child health and elderly health centres and similar facilities in 2013-14.

Centre for Health Protection

The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) collaborates with its local and international counterparts to prevent and control diseases in Hong Kong. It works on three principles: real-time surveillance, rapid intervention and responsive risk communication. To carry out its mission, the CHP works to protect the health of the community, promote healthy living in the community, and partner with stakeholders to achieve its objectives. The CHP keeps track of communicable diseases and issues surveillance reports on a regular basis, as well as reports on laboratory data.

A board of scientific advisers, comprising experts from different disciplines, and seven scientific committees meet periodically to assist the CHP in formulating effective policies to improve the local health protection system. Regular training and research programmes are also conducted.

The CHP maintains close liaison with District Councils and Healthy Cities projects at district level to disseminate health information and guidelines on diseases, alert the public to health threats and facilitate rapid implementation of preventive measures. In addition, professional knowledge and experience in combating diseases are shared with other health authorities and agencies in the Mainland, in Macao and the World Health Organisation.

146