Speech delivery to the College of Orthopaedic
Surgeons at the Inauguration of the First Fellow Rehabilitation
16 October 2004
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by
Dr C H Leong
President, Hong Kong Academy of Medicine

          May I begin by thanking the College of Orthopaedic Surgeons of Hong Kong for giving me the honour to officiate in this millstone event of conferring first fellows in Rehabilitation of the College.

           I would like to take this opportunity to congratulations the “stars” of tonight – the New First Fellows of the College. You are now a special breed of Orthopaedic Surgeons, and the fellowship in Rehabilitation, will be your pastport to specialist registration in Rehabilitation Medicine with the “Medical Council”.

          My congratulations too goes to the College of Orthopaedic Surgeons, the wide vision of your Council and their unceasing efforts have bore fruit.

          The science and practice of orthopaedics today is very different to those of yesteryear. Its scope of work is also much more widely encompassing. Rightly so there is a need to branch out into subspecialization.

          The practice of medicine today, and so the role of the medical profession, irrespective of disciplines, extends much more than saving lifes, much more then realigning and make good the anatomy of the human body but more so to assure that the total body, be it organs or limbs, could regain to near normality in function after any illnesses or trauma so that the person could enjoy the maximum quality of life and to serve the community. Today therefore Rehabilitation Medicine is no more a luxury but a necessity. Its importance is compounded in Hong Kong by an aging population where chronic ill health and trauma more frequently requiring even longer terms of rehabilitation, and in other parts of the world, bio terrorism and unnecessary war that leave many innocent maimed require psychologic and physical rehabilitation for them to return back into even minimal existence.

          Rehab Medicine is this a needed subspecialty in almost all disciplines of medicine. The Emory University Medical School for example identified 3 core areas of rehabilitation and propose to do details research on them.

          Motor Control and movement science
Rehabilitation outcome and health services research
Aging and rehabilitation

          The College of Orthopaedics Surgeons have taken a lead to prompt this subspecialization. The College of Physicians has also taken on this task, they too should be congratulated. I have no doubt the other Colleges in the Academy will tailor the needs of rehabilitation to their specialties.

          May I end by again congratulating the graduands and the College for its visionary direction.