Experience Sharing on
The 7th Beijing and Hong Kong Medical Exchange Meeting
AIDS and Sexual Health
by
Lam Yin-cheung & Yu Wai-kuen,
Nursing Officers, Social Hygiene Service
In late September, 2005, we from the Social Hygiene Service traveled a long way to Beijing to attend the "Beijing/Hong Kong Medical Exchange" organized jointly by the Hong Kong Medical Association and the Chinese Medical Association. The two-day Medical Exchange covered the latest developments in sexual dysfunction, AIDS prevention and control as well as sexually transmitted diseases (STD).
All the speakers in this event are experts in STD, each having his/her own unique point of views. They put forth a lot of opinions on STD, AIDS prevention and education policies with respect to the statistical, social, cultural and economic factors in the Mainland. One of the academics, Yu Dong-bao, Deputy Director from the China Center for Disease Control & Prevention and the National Center for AIDS/STD Control & Prevention shared with us the findings of his research that he had worked hard on it over the years. His analysis, both precise and thorough, provided insights into the future study on the spreading of STD in the Mainland. He reiterated that China paid great attention to the prevention of AIDS to control its proliferation with focus on the introduction of intervention programs directed towards the high risk groups, in particular, pinpointing on the coordination between Departments liked the Health Department and Birth Control Department, promoting the use of condoms so as to strengthen the knowledge of the public about the channels for promulgation of AIDS and to remove the misunderstandings and discrimination.
During the event, we visited the Venereal Diseases Clinic of the YouAn Hospital, Reproductive Health Guidance Center and also the Museum on Sexology. All the articles and information on display in the Museum are about male and female sexual organs, homosexual, sexual psychology and sexual orientation. It was noted that they are more open than Hong Kong in terms of their attitude towards sex. Exhibits like stone statues, wall paintings and pottery and porcelain representing different modes of expression were displayed in the venue. Some of the pictures with detailed descriptions showed records of sexual intercourses between men and women in ancient times, sex symbols, and the symbols of power and power transfer between male and female in different ages. The pictures were, relatively speaking, bold and exposed but they just reflected the sex lives of the people of the time in a factual and historical way. Some leaflets on safe sex and nicely packed condoms were placed in the last resource corner of the exhibition hall, they fulfilled the dual purposes of providing proper sex education and promoting the correct use of condoms. This exhibition hall served as a very good model for institutions promoting sex education in Hong Kong.
Conclusively, this Medical Exchange had opened up our eyes and broadened our horizons. It brought great benefits to our work as it enabled us to have a deeper understanding of the conditions and prevention of AIDS and STD in Beijing and Hong Kong. It is hoped that through sex health education and promotion, AIDS as an incurable disease of the century, could soon be wiped out.
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