With a joint effort by The Open University of Hong Kong (OUHK) and The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, more than 620 healthcare volunteers have been trained up by the Jockey Club Home Health Watch Programme to strengthen community healthcare since 2014.

The 2nd Jockey Club Home Health Watch Programme Graduation Ceremony is held today, with more than 300 volunteers successfully completing the free programme and receiving their certificates. They are now ready to provide community-based supportive care to the elderly and patients with chronic illness with the necessary knowledge and skills, and will become ambassadors to promote the spirit of mutual aid and communal harmony.

Speaking at the ceremony, OUHK Vice President (Administration and Development) Prof. Lee Wing-on noted that many of this year’s graduates have retired from fully time jobs and they are the best examples to show how lifelong learning and a spirit of community services can unleash the positive energy of our senior citizens.

OUHK Associate Head of Division of Nursing and Health Studies Dr. Linda Lee Yin-king remarked that the Jockey Club Home Health Watch Programme has been widely supported by many volunteer organizations and elderly service centres since its launch. It helped the University to expand its reach to the community and fostered partnerships with local groups to develop the much needed community-based healthcare services.

One of the graduates Mr. Tsang Won-hing, who is also the champion of the this year’s Jockey Club Home Health Watch Programme Volunteers Writing Contest, found the Programme very enlightening as it has deepened his healthcare knowledge and allowed him to better understand the needs of their service targets. He thanked OUHK and The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust for providing him and other fellow volunteers a free and valuable learning opportunity and giving them the chance to contribute back to society.

In response to the ageing population and the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases in Hong Kong, OUHK has launched the “Jockey Club Community Healthcare Education Programme” with the support from The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust to train up additional manpower to meet societal needs. Apart from an array of community healthcare activities targeting the general public, such as the Community Healthcare Day, there are also two part-time academic programmes and a free education programme for the public who are interested to pursue a career or voluntary service in this area:

About the OUHK:
Established by the Government in 1989, The Open University of Hong Kong (OUHK) provides high quality and flexible university education and professional training to secondary school graduates and working adults. The University currently offers about 220 programmes of different academic levels to more than 10,000 distance learning students and 9,000 full-time students.

OUHK comprises four Schools, i.e. School of Arts and Social Sciences, Lee Shau Kee School of Business and Administration, School of Education and Languages, and School of Science and Technology. The Li Ka Shing Institute of Professional and Continuing Education offers overseas degree programmes and short courses. The University originally has two buildings on the campus of Ho Man Tin, with another recently-opened Jubilee College, and two learning centres at various convenient locations, namely OUHK-CITA Learning Centre (OCLC) and OUHK Kwai Hing Learning Centre (KHLC). Website: www.ouhk.edu.hk