Signing Ceremony of the Second Affiliated Hospital of CUHK-Shenzhen

        On the morning of December 14, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen and the Longgang District People's Government reached a cooperation agreement on the joint development of the Longgang District People's Hospital as the University's second affiliated hospital. The event was attended by Zhang Liwei, Secretary of the Longgang District CPC Committee, Xu Yangsheng, President of CUHK-Shenzhen, Tom Z.Q. LUO, Vice President of CUHK-Shenzhen, Davy Cheng, Dean of the CUHK-Shenzhen School of Medicine, Li Chuang, Deputy Director of the Municipal Health Commission, Zeng Xianwang, Member of the Standing Committee of Longgang District Committee of the  CPPCC, and Zhang Yuqing, Deputy District Mayor of the Longgang District.

Group photo of guests at the signing ceremony

        In his speech, Professor Davy Cheng, Dean of the School of Medicine, CUHK-Shenzhen, expressed his gratitude to the support of the University and the community and compared the signing as a stronger validation of the medical-educational collaboration between the University and the Longgang District Government. "Under the guidance and assistance of the Shenzhen and Longgang District governments and health departments, the School of Medicine will integrate the resources and advantages of the Longgang District People's Hospital as well as the University, to build a high-level affiliated hospital with more research platforms to be formed, better clinical operations services and accelerating quality development. We will try our best to meet the expectations of the government, the people and the University," said the Dean.

Speech by MED Dean Davy Cheng

        Zhang Yuqing, Deputy District Mayor of the Longgang District, addressed the audience and said that Longgang District will further align with CUHK-Shenzhen and take forward the implementation of the agreed matters. Specifically, Zhang noted the need to bring in high-level medical teams, nurture local medical talents, connect medical services across the border and boost the construction of the University's medical school, in order to fully implement the "Healthy Longgang" blueprint. "We will make every effort to build a medical centre in the eastern part of Shenzhen and make greater contribution to realising the goal of 'premium medical care for the sick' in Longgang and Shenzhen," said the district chief.

 Speech by Deputy District Mayor Zhang Yuqing

       Li Chuang, Deputy Director of the Municipal Health Commission, expressed his hope that the second affiliated hospital, standing at the beginning of the 14th Five-Year Plan, would explore in its reform, innovate in its management and strive for excellence in its operations, so as to become a high-quality international hospital that the people can rest assured and be satisfied with. Besides, he looked forward to seeing the School of Medicine and its affiliated hospitals contributing to the Greater Bay Area strategy, the PDA Strategy (developing Shenzhen into a Pilot Demonstration Area of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics), as well as the health care blueprint for Shenzhen.

Speech by Li Chuang, Deputy Director of the Municipal Health Commission

        It is believed that the signing will bring a solid foundation for the two sides to reinforce cooperation in a wider scope, at a higher level and in a wider field. Setting a new chapter in university-medical cooperation between Hong Kong and Shenzhen, this exemplary partnership will offer valuable pioneering experience for more collaborative medical practices and inject new impetus into the health care industry in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

       The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen (CUHK-Shenzhen) is a world-class research university that inherits CUHK's first-class academic traditions while embracing the most relevant and cutting edge disciplines such as artificial intelligence, big data and life and health sciences. We have brought in a number of top health care talents, and boast competitive advantages in terms of resources and international branding. The CUHK-Shenzhen School of Medicine (MED) and its affiliated hospitals were born out of an agreement inked by the Shenzhen Municipal People's Government, The Chinese University of Hong Kong and The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen in January 2019. Currently, Shenzhen is undertaking historical missions of spearheading the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) as well as developing into a Pilot Demonstration Area of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics (PDA). Against this backdrop, MED seeks to nurture outstanding innovative and caring medical talents with an international perspective, and has identified a well-established education system covering undergraduate, master and doctoral training. Drawing on the first-class educational foundation and teaching experience of CUHK MED, and fully embracing the advanced philosophy of medical schools in China and abroad, CUHK(SZ) MED will actively explore a new model of medical education that integrates Shenzhen and Hong Kong. The School welcomed its first cohort of undergraduate Clinical Medicine students last year and would extend to a wider range of programmes, including pharmacy, public health, and nursing, with an annual intake of over 6,000 students by 2035.

(Picture: Li Kai, Longgang RM Media)