High-ranking Health Officials of the Mainland, Hong Kong and Macao met in a joint meeting to discuss healthcare reforms and developments earlier this month.

The Tripartite High-ranking Health Officials Meeting was held for the first time in Beijing from 4 to 6 of this month. The three delegations were headed by the Minister of Health, Zhang Wenkang, the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the MSAR, Chui Sai On, and the Secretary for Health and Social Affairs of the HKSAR, E K Yeoh.

During the meeting, issues such as the reformation of medical organizations, the development of healthcare services, improvements in healthcare monitory systems, disease control, effects on health services following the accession of China to the WTO, and the development of Chinese medicine were discussed.

As a result of the opinions and experiences discussed in the meeting, the three sides had a better understanding of their different healthcare systems and their development.

The next Tripartite High-ranking Health Officials Meeting will be held in Macao next year.

The Macao delegation also met with the China Medical Association after the meeting. The latter agreed to provide technical assistance for the future independent monitory body which will handle complaints on medical incidents.