Hong Kong 2006

The Government Laboratory offers a comprehensive range of analytical and advisory services to support the Government in upholding its various commitments in the protection of public health. In the financial year 2005-06, $79.1 million were spent for the Government Laboratory to provide analytical services for public health purposes.

In 2006, 112 421 tests on a wide range of food samples were carried out for surveillance and for verifying compliance with the statutory standards. Increasing public concern about food quality and safety issues is evidenced by a general increase in workload. The laboratory has also rendered urgent analytical services on various ad hoc issues during the year, including the examination of suspected Sudan dyes and residues of malachite green and other antibiotics in egg and fish samples respectively. Enhanced analytical support was provided to reinforce the existing food surveillance programme.

The laboratory has continued to provide a comprehensive analytical service to ensure the quality of Western and Chinese medicines that constitute an indispensable part of the healthcare system. In 2006, a total of 41 626 tests were carried out on western pharmaceutical products for compliance with the international or other acceptable standards in quality and safety. At the same time, 56 076 tests were conducted on proprietary Chinese medicines and Chinese herbal medicines for their toxic elements and pesticide residue contents, and for the detection of adulteration with western drugs or controlled substances. In addition, the laboratory provided full support for investigations into cases of adverse reaction or intoxication incidents related to inadvertent substitution or contamination of herbs in Chinese medicines. Active participation was sustained in the development of regulatory standards for Chinese medicinal herbs in Hong Kong.

The laboratory sustained year-round surveillance of tar and nicotine yields in cigarettes. Some 14 064 examinations were conducted during the year. Results were published in the annual table for public information and affirmation of the data declared by tobacco traders.

Clinical diagnostic and public health laboratory services are centrally provided to the public and private health sectors for both patient care and public health functions by the Public Health Laboratory Centre and the Clinical Pathology Laboratory Centre of the Department of Health. The centres also process clinical and surveillance specimens from the public and private sectors to screen for infections and monitor immunity, and regularly collect baseline laboratory epidemiological data for outbreak investigation. In 2006, 2 240 000 tests relating to public health were conducted.

The Public Health Laboratory Centre has been designated by the World Health Organisation as the National Influenza Centre, the National Poliovirus Laboratory, the National Measles Laboratory, Avian (H5) Influenza Reference Laboratory, SARS Reference Laboratory and a Supranational TB Reference Laboratory.

Hospital laboratories located in regional hospitals under the Hospital Authority provide a wide range of laboratory services in anatomical pathology, chemical pathology, haematology, blood bank, microbiology, immunology and tissue typing to ensure that all public hospitals, including those without onsite laboratories, have access to comprehensive laboratory services. These laboratories are supported by advanced information technology systems and automated devices to achieve operational efficiency. They were also accredited by a number of local and international accreditation bodies. In 2006, these hospital laboratories performed about 130 million tests. In addition, a Toxicology Reference Laboratory, housed in Princess Margaret Hospital, was established in 2004 to provide toxicology service for all public hospitals.