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Letters

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The 11th National Security Education Day once again showcased Hong Kong’s commitment to safeguarding stability while deepening integration into China’s national framework. Yet beneath the banners and speeches lies a sobering truth: the city’s future hinges not only on patriotic education but on the health, resilience and opportunity afforded to its young people.
Children and youth are the flag bearers of tomorrow. The Education Bureau’s introduction of Primary Humanities from the 2025-26 academic year signals a renewed focus on instilling national identity early. This patriotic curriculum needs to be bolstered with prioritising the linguistic, physical and mental well-being, and the socioeconomic mobility, of Hong Kong’s children.
China’s success in uniting 56 ethnic groups through language and inclusivity offers a powerful lesson. Hong Kong’s Standing Committee on Language Education and Research (SCOLAR) initiative, launched in 1996, sought to make students and working adults biliterate and trilingual. Yet decades later, language acquisition remains a stumbling block. Calls to lower university language requirements betray the very principle of opportunity through effort. What is needed is not lowered standards but sustained commitment to early, rigorous language education, because inclusion and mobility begin with communication.
Similarly, merely fixating on the linguistic gymnastics of “ethnic minority”, “ethnically diverse” and the like is a disappointing way to address the problems of those who bear the burden of language-based exclusion on a daily basis. As the Chinese proverb reminds us, “mere talk doesn’t cook rice”.
We need definitive action with concrete results, not just research and expressions of concern. In just five years, the number of secondary school students diagnosed with mental illness has doubled. Depression and bipolar disorder are rising among the youth. In 2023, nearly one in four children were living in poverty. Ninety-four per cent fail to meet daily exercise requirements, while vision problems and child abuse cases continue to rise. These are a damning indictment of us as a society failing its youngest members.
We must confront these realities head-on. That means prioritising youth well-being with the same seriousness given to patriotic education. It means channelling resources into prevention, not just firefighting symptoms. It means uniting across all divides to ensure that every child has the chance to thrive.
Poet Maya Angelou suggested that “a society is only as healthy as its sickest citizen and only as wealthy as its most deprived”. Hong Kong must no longer allow social challenges to weaken its strongest hope for a robust future.
Manoj Dhar, Ap Lei Chau
Greater Bay Area could be model of rare disease care
I refer to the letter, “Cooperate within Greater Bay Area on drug access” (April 20).
Rare diseases affect millions of people worldwide, yet patients are often overlooked because of the low prevalence of these illnesses. Families frequently endure a “diagnostic odyssey”, prolonged waits for treatment and fragmented support.
The financial burden is substantial: one study estimates the annual socioeconomic cost per patient at around HK$490,000 (US$62,540). Against this backdrop, closer collaboration within the Greater Bay Area (GBA) offers a practical way to improve drug access and patient outcomes.
Hong Kong has taken meaningful steps. The Hospital Authority has expanded its free newborn screening programme to cover 30 genetic conditions, including inborn errors of metabolism, spinal muscular atrophy and severe combined immune deficiency, allowing earlier diagnosis and intervention. At the same time, the government is expediting the “1+” drug approval mechanism to speed up access to innovative therapies.
These initiatives could have even greater impact if aligned with the GBA framework. More harmonised regulatory processes may reduce duplication and accelerate approvals across Hong Kong, Macau and Guangdong.
Looking ahead, the Hong Kong Centre for Medical Products Regulation, expected to be established this year, could act as a bridge for regulatory convergence within the GBA. This potential should be viewed alongside the biotech clusters in Shenzhen and Guangzhou, which offer complementary strengths in clinical trials, manufacturing and research.
By linking Hong Kong’s prowess in diagnosis and regulation with the mainland’s larger patient base and pharmaceutical ecosystem, the region could develop a more integrated network for rare disease research and treatment.
For patients, GBA cooperation could translate into tangible benefits. Hong Kong residents may gain earlier access to therapies trialled in Shenzhen and Guangzhou, while mainland patients could benefit from Hong Kong’s advanced screening capabilities. If cross-border subsidy or insurance arrangements can be further explored, these could also help ease financial burdens and improve affordability.
Community organisations, such as the Rare Disease Hong Kong, play an essential role in advocacy and patient support. Through closer collaboration with mainland counterparts, these groups can amplify calls for more consistent and patient-centred rare disease policies across the GBA. With sustained effort, the Greater Bay Area has the potential to become a model for equitable and effective care for people living with rare diseases.
Donald Chong, Mid-Levels


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Hong Kong society

Hong Kong must prioritise well-being of flag bearers of tomorrow

Students attend the opening ceremony of the National Security Education Day held at the Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai on April 15. Photo: Nora Tam

Pathway of Hong Kong pupils’ well-being runs through relationships

Seconary school students take the Diploma of Secondary Education Examination at Munsang College on April 9. Photo: Pool

New curriculum guide will bolster national identity in Hong Kong

Students of Tai Po Old Market Public School hold a flag-raising ceremony on the first day of school on September 1, 2025. Photo: Jelly Tse

University of Michigan must stand up for its Chinese scholars

Chinese semiconductor researcher Wang Danhao died at the University of Michigan last month, reportedly after he was questioned by US federal law enforcement. Photo: Handout

Opinion

Readers discuss the efforts required to ensure every child has a chance to thrive, and the potential for Greater Bay Area collaboration on rare disease treatment


Readers discuss the efforts required to ensure every child has a chance to thrive, and the potential for Greater Bay Area collaboration on rare disease treatment.


.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Readers discuss the efforts required to ensure every child has a chance to thrive, and the potential for Greater Bay Area collaboration on rare disease treatment

Readers discuss the efforts required to ensure every child has a chance to thrive, and the potential for Greater Bay Area collaboration on rare disease treatment