Wonca's
President from 1992 to 1995, Dr. Peter CY Lee, is not one to rest on his
well deserved laurels. While enjoy-ing his new grandson in Vancouver,
Canada, he continues to pursue his career passions in Family and Chinese
Medicines as well as his love for the Hong Kong College of Family Physicians,
which he founded in 1977, and the vibrant community that he continues
to call home.
On October 25, 2002, as Principal Speaker at the 90th
Anniversary Celebrations of the Peking University Health Science Centre
(formerly the Beijing Medical University), Dr. Lee reminded the audience
of the role of General Practice/Family Medicine in helping to meet people's
health needs. He shared with the audience his efforts to introduce General
Practice into China after his first visit to Beijing in 1979. That first
visit convinced Lee that their hospital-oriented system was wasteful and
costly and that Family Medicine's concepts could be applied to all levels
of health care, from ancillary health workers, to nurses, and to all grades
of doctors.
In 1986, Dr. Lee led a delegation of the Hong Kong College of General
Practitioners, as its President, to introduce the discipline of Family
Medicine to China. They were warmly received by the People's Republic
of China's (PRC) Minister of Health, the late Professor Chen Minzhang.
The Chinese Medical Association took immediate steps to include General
Practice as one of its specialty branches. As General Practice developed,
Dr. Lee was Keynote Speaker at the 1989 Inauguration Ceremony of the Beijing
Society of General Practice and again at the Inaugural Ceremony of the
Chinese Society of General Practice in 1993, both held in Beijing. As
WHO Consultant in General Practice/Family Medicine in 1997, Dr. Lee toured
and lectured for one month in Heilongjiang Province at the invitation
of the PRC Ministry of Health.
In May 1992, the Chinese Government requested Dr. Lee as WONCA President
to send experts into China to advise on General Practice education. A
team of four experts - the WONCA Task Force - visited
four provinces in China in late 1992/early 1993, and submitted to the
Ministry of Health in April 1993 a report entitled: "Medical
Education and Development of General Practice/Family Medicine in China".
It was also during Dr. Lee's Presidency that the entry of SIMG into WONCA
Europe was realised in May 1994, thus bringing into WONCA's fold the influential
European General Practice Organisation. Dr. Lee's Presidency also saw
the formation of the WHO/WONCA Strategic Action Forum
in June 1993 to tackle the subject of "Making Medical
Practice and Education relevant to people's needs: the contribution of
the Family Doctor". Over 60 experts from all over the
world were identified to participate in the Forum which laboured for over
two years, first meeting in Hong Kong in January 1994 and finally in London,
Ontario in November 1994, to produce in early 1995 a major WHO/WONCA document
of the same title, which represented the first joint effort and collaboration
between WHO and WONCA. The resultant Working Paper, representing the conjoint
views of WHO and WONCA on the subject, was then sent to all 189 member
nations of the World Health Organisation and to 1,500 medical schools
world-wide.
In addition to his General Practice leadership, Dr. Lee continues to actively
support the teaching of Chinese Medicine. On January 21, 2003, Dr. Lee
was Principal Speaker at the historically significant graduation ceremony
of the first batch of Bachelors of Chinese Medicine at the University
of Hong Kong. Only during the last decade, and especially after 1997,
has Chinese Medicine been officially recognized and taken seriously. Hong
Kong University has been a pioneer, having started Chinese Medicine courses
more than a decade ago. This year, the University's School of Chinese
Medicine produced the first graduates of its full-time, five-year course.
In his Keynote Address, Dr. Lee took the opportunity to describe the philosophy
and practice of Family Medicine and its common "whole person"
approach with Chinese Medicine.
While continuing his globe-trotting, Dr. Lee remains devoted to Hong Kong
and the College he founded and served as its first President. The Hong
Kong College of Family Physicians celebrated its Silver Jubilee (25th)
Anniversary from March 21-23, 2003. In its Commemorative Brochure, Dr.
Lee reflected on the enormous growth of the College and the importance
of General Practice to the Hong Kong health system.
In the College's 20th Anniversary Brochure five years
ago in 1998, Dr. Lee noted that "the Government had belatedly declared
its intention to make available Family Medicine vocational training placements
in hospitals for new graduates of our medical schools". Today, a
staggering total (relative to its doctor population) of 346 new graduates
are in vocational training in Family Medicine, stretching the College
to find enough Fellows to serve as trainers. Today, the Discipline of
General Practice (Family Medicine) is recognized as a Specialty in Hong
Kong. In his Commemorative Address in March 22, 2003, Dr. Lee congratulated
the College for its efforts to organize "Diploma Courses in Family
Medicine" to assist those front-line doctors who wish to raise their
standards of medical practice.
In November 2003, the Chinese Society of General Practice will host for
the first time, with the full support and active assistance of the Hong
Kong College, the WONCA Asia-Pacific Regional Conference in Beijing. The
growth of General Practice/Family Medicine in China, Hong Kong and Asia-Pacific
Region was, in no small part, due to the vision and tenacity of one of
Wonca's Past-Presidents, Dr. Peter CY Lee.