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HEALTHOct 4TCM or Western medicine for sports injuries? Why this Hong Kong athlete chose bothIn the third instalment of a four-part Health Matters series on traditional Chinese medicine, Aidyn Fitzpatrick speaks to a Hong Kong fencer studying TCM and local practitioners to see how athletes, both elite and amateur, are using TCM alongside Western medicine for smarter injury recovery. Fresh off helping Hong Kong clinch a bronze medal in the women’s foil team event at the 2026 Asian Games in Japan, fencer Janelle Leung Ya-lei – ranked 53rd in the world – knows the fine margin between peak...South China Morning Post
HEALTHOct 466% of Hong Kong’s 8-year-olds could be short-sighted by 2028, experts warnMore than 60 per cent of Hong Kong’s eight-year-olds could be short-sighted by 2028, optometrists have predicted, citing a shrinking “hyperopic reserve” that normally helps delay nearsightedness. The Hong Kong Association of Private Practice Optometrists released the findings on Sunday from a screening of more than 3,500 pupils at eight primary schools conducted between November and May, urging parents to begin comprehensive eye checks when children turned three. The association found that 67...South China Morning Post
HEALTHOct 4Hong Kong’s cancer research drawing global attention, says leading body’s chiefHong Kong is playing a central role as part of a broader regional hub for research breakthroughs, the head of a leading global cancer organisation has said, adding that the city’s success in reducing its smoking rate has set an example for others to follow. Cary Adams, CEO of the Union for International Cancer Control, praised the city’s tobacco control efforts as the organisation held the World Cancer Congress in Hong Kong last month for the first time. “We’ve all become aware globally that the...South China Morning Post
HEALTHOct 3‘Cancer saved me’: Hong Kong survivor finds new purpose ahead of canoe challengeThirty-one years ago, Hongkonger Raymond Lo Shu-yuen was diagnosed with stage four liver cancer and had a quarter of the organ removed. Now 75, Lo said the illness, despite its physical and mental toll, had taught him invaluable lessons about ageing, health and making the most of life. “I can say that the cancer itself saved me,” he said. “Why? If I did not have this illness, I would not have changed my past lifestyle such as working hard like a dog, eating a lot of junk food, doing no exercise...South China Morning Post
HEALTHOct 3SFA investigating Woodlands coffeeshop after staff caught spreading butter on bread with bare fingers - AsiaOneSFA investigating Woodlands coffeeshop after staff caught spreading butter on bread with bare fingers AsiaOnegoogle · singapore
HEALTHOct 2Hospital in Russia’s Irkutsk region quarantined amid reports that a patient died of pneumonic plagueMeduza [en]
HEALTHOct 1Health chief warns overstated claims of job shortages could lead to fewer new nursesHong Kong’s health minister has warned that the city will need to “bear the consequences” of exaggerating concerns over the employment prospects of nurses, as such remarks could deter new blood from joining the profession. “I do not want recent comments, such as claims that ‘[nursing] graduation equals unemployment’, to dampen the interest of our younger generation in joining the nursing profession,” Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau said on Thursday. “Training nurses takes time, and [the number...South China Morning Post
HEALTHOct 1Malaysian medical body raises alarm over high doctor ‘no-show’ rate in Sabah, SarawakThe Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) has expressed concern over reports of high “no-show” rates among medical officers assigned to permanent postings in Sabah and Sarawak. The medical body urged the government to take action by reverting to a percentage-based allowance and introducing incentives to attract and retain healthcare workers in East Malaysia. MMA president Sivanaesan Letchumanan pointed to reports which said that a number of medical officers failed to report for their permanent...South China Morning Post
HEALTHSep 30'A face lift once a month': Growing pressure to conform amid the rise of Korea's 'K-Beauty'In the last ten years, South Korea has established itself as a powerhouse of beauty and cosmetics. But, behind the innovative creams, serums, and treatments that have allowed so-called K-beauty to conquer the world, Korean society has also felt the impacts, and people now face rising social pressure to conform to new beauty standards. France 24’s Christina Yoon, Mélodie Sforza and Jan Camezind Broomby sent this report from Seoul.France 24 [en]
HEALTHSep 30Japan Hospital Performs World’s First Surgery Using Heart Muscle Stem CellsSheets of muscle cells derived from regenerative products known as induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPS cells, were transplanted into the heart of a woman in her 50s during the hour-long surgery performed on Tuesday. The post Japan Hospital Performs World’s First Surgery Using Heart Muscle Stem Cells appeared first on Channels Television.Channels TV
HEALTHSep 290.5% of nurses trained outside Hong Kong, authorities say amid hiring rowLess than 0.5 per cent of registered Hong Kong nurses received their training outside the city, while 99.8 per cent of those working in public hospitals are locally trained, health authorities have said amid a growing row with a trade union over employment concerns. The latest figures were released on Tuesday after the city’s health minister repeatedly rejected claims that authorities had favoured mainland Chinese nurses over local candidates. On Saturday, the Association of Hong Kong Nursing...South China Morning Post
HEALTHSep 29China wife donates kidney to husband, defying sub 10% match rate for non-blood relativesA young Chinese wife selflessly donated her kidney to her husband suffering from uraemia because she “did not want to lose him,” despite the success rate being less than 10 per cent. In September, Liang, 25, donated her left kidney to her husband, Chung, at the Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University. Chung, 33, has congenital megaureter, a condition present from birth that involves an abnormally enlarged ureter. He underwent regular treatment for his condition, which...South China Morning Post
HEALTHSep 28Hong Kong customs arrests 2, seizes HK$290,000 of ‘slimming injections’ from JapanHong Kong customs officers have seized 400 so-called slimming injections imported from Japan, with an estimated market value of about HK$290,000 (US$36,970), and arrested two local residents in an operation earlier this month. The case came to light on September 5, when officers intercepted a suspicious postal packet imported from Japan at the Air Mail Centre. “Upon inspection, customs officers found and seized 400 anti-obesity injection vials suspected to contain Part 1 poisons from the...South China Morning Post
HEALTHSep 27The hidden risks of using traditional Chinese medicine with Western prescriptionsIn the second instalment of a four-part Health Matters series on traditional Chinese medicine, Aidyn Fitzpatrick investigates the drug-interaction risks of combining Chinese remedies with Western medicine, and how Hongkongers can protect themselves from avoidable complications. An elderly woman with a mechanical heart valve was taking warfarin, a blood thinner to prevent and treat blood clots, when she began using the Chinese herb danshen, often marketed for “blood circulation”. Her blood lost...South China Morning Post
HEALTHSep 24US regulators back multi-cancer blood test – but Hong Kong doctors remain cautiousEfforts to detect multiple cancers through a single blood draw are gathering momentum after US regulators endorsed the technology for the first time, although experts say wider adoption in Hong Kong still faces challenges as doctors remain cautious about its clinical value. In a landmark decision for the emerging field of multi-cancer early detection (MCED) blood tests, a US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) panel on Thursday voted in favour of US company Grail’s “Galleri test”, recommending it...South China Morning Post
HEALTHSep 24Hong Kong reports more than 40% drop in cancer-related death rate over 30 yearsHong Kong has cut its rate of cancer-related deaths by more than 40 per cent over the past three decades, the health minister said, as the city’s leader renewed his pledge to make it a hub for medical innovation. Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau outlined the city’s progress in cancer control at the World Cancer Congress, which is being held in Hong Kong for the first time. Citing figures from 1993 to 2023, Lo said Hong Kong’s age-standardised cancer mortality rate had fallen by more than 40 per...South China Morning Post
HEALTHSep 23No toxic substance found in sports drinks linked to students’ illness: policeHong Kong police have found no foreign or toxic substances in a brand of bottled drink linked to the illness of 16 students from a secondary school in Kwun Tong, saying the reported “pinholes” are likely to be perforated lines in the plastic wrapping. The update came a day after 16 students from Maryknoll Secondary School reported feeling unwell after drinking free bottles of “Scream” sports drink during lunch at Tuesday’s athletics meet at Hammer Hill Road Sports Ground in Wong Tai Sin. The...South China Morning Post
HEALTHSep 22Indonesia breathing issues spike to over 170,000 cases amid wildfire hazeSouth China Morning Post
HEALTHSep 22Free sports drinks with suspicious pinhole marks leave 10 Hong Kong students illAbout 10 students reportedly fell ill after drinking free beverages that were found with suspicious pinhole marks near a sports ground in Hong Kong, prompting a police investigation. Students reportedly posted messages on social media claiming that free bottles of a sports drink had been handed out during lunch near the school athletics meet at Hammer Hill Road Sports Ground in Wong Tai Sin. Some students later noticed what appeared to be pinhole marks on the bottles, and a parent called police...South China Morning Post
HEALTHSep 22Respiratory Problems Climb Past 170,000 Cases In Haze-Hit IndonesiaChannels TV
HEALTHSep 21Subsidised physiotherapy places slashed by third amid graduate job crunchHong Kong education authorities have cut the number of subsidised places for physiotherapy and occupational therapy programmes at three self-financing institutions by about a third for the 2027-28 school year amid a graduate job crunch. A physiotherapy association backed the reduction to avoid worsening unemployment in the sector, saying any future increase would depend on the government budget. The Education Bureau on Monday announced that its Study Subsidy Scheme for Designated Professions or...South China Morning Post
HEALTHSep 21Chiang Rai Residents Urge PM to Tackle Arsenic Contamination in RiversResidents of Chiang Rai are urging the Prime Minister to address arsenic contamination in local rivers. This highlights a public health and environmental concern requiring government intervention.chiangraitimes.com · Thailand
HEALTHSep 21Japanese surgeon removes healthy brain tissue, leaving woman on ventilatorA Japanese woman was left unable to breathe on her own after a veteran surgeon mistakenly removed healthy tissue instead of a benign tumour from her brain. Kyoto University Hospital apologised for the medical error and vowed to take measures to prevent similar incidents, local news outlet TV Asahi reported. The woman, in her fifties, was diagnosed with a benign brain tumour after consulting doctors for dizziness and unsteadiness. Although she was able to carry out her daily activities, she...South China Morning Post
HEALTHSep 20Keralam doctors selected to present research at UICC World Cancer Congress in Hong KongDoctors from Keralam have been selected to present their research at the UICC World Cancer Congress in Hong Kong. This highlights their contribution to global cancer research.The Hindu