It is honorable for the Children’s Heart Foundation (CHF) to have the Under Secretary for Food and Health Dr. Chui Tak Yi, JP to lead the opening ceremony. In his speech, he expressed that it is his honor to be invited as the guest of honor and he also showed appreciation to the devotion of the CHF towards the children with congenital heart disease and their families. At the same time, the CHF is glad to have Mr. John Tsang, GBM, JP to be the Star of the Charity Walk. During the opening ceremony, he shared with the audience that he is impressed with the energetic, cheerful and hopeful sides of the children with congenital heart disease during the video-shooting, He also called for the public awareness towards the needs of children with congenital heart disease and to encourage them to break through their limits resulted from the disease.
The Vice-Chairman Dr. Chau Kai Tung expressed gratitude towards the generous support provided by various stakeholders; he pointed out there are 6-8 out of 1000 newborn babies who are born with heart disease, in which many of them need to take different kinds of heart surgery or interventional treatment. They need support and encouragement as their paths will be very challenging.
Dr. Chau pointed out that the Charity Walk is particularly meaningful this year; as there was a child receiving heart transplant to sustain his life, whose parent had lived in the House of Heart provided by the CHF for a year. Also, the CHF was the first one to initiate the pilot scheme of the replacement of heart valve by cardiac catheterization programme and to start subsidising the expensive medical items for the patients with congenital heart disease this year. With this technique, a smaller cardiac catheterization can be used to change the heart valve, so that the patient can be recovered sooner and be discharged sooner. With the support rendered by the CHF, the service gap is being filled; it is hoped that this minimally invasive treatment can be regularly used in public hospitals.
Dr. Chau appealed for the continuous public attention towards the children with congenital heart disease and to support them by donations to further the development.
The CHF gives special thanks to the following sponsors and supporters (listed in no particular order) -
