Healthier approach vital to tackle Hong Kong’s ageing society, top US medicine scholar says
US National Academy of Medicine head says various fields of expertise along with public and private money needed to keep people living healthier longer
Integrated efforts both inside and outside government will be required to tackle health care challenges brought by Hong Kong’s ageing population, the head of a top American medical institution said.
Professor Victor Dzau, president of the US National Academy of Medicine, said various fields of knowledge across society would need to come together to shape a healthier society in the face of the coming “silver tsunami”.
“We need to look at society holistically and not in silos ... almost every policy has a health lens to it,” said Dzau, who grew up in Hong Kong.
The academy advises national and international bodies on health care issues. Dzau returned to Hong Kong last week to launch the academy’s first international health policy fellowship programme, which is being set up with the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
“When you think about how to make a healthy community, you think about education – the biggest predictor of long-term health,” Dzau said. “If you don’t live in a good housing environment, you think about issues like asthma aggravated by the environment.”
