Fan Ning (MBA 2009) Turns Adversity into Opportunity of Building Cross-disciplinary Community Care Network
The fifth wave of COVID-19 outbreak has taxed Hong Kong’s healthcare system. Beyond public hospitals, frontline social units are working around the clock to provide the needed support to the community, among them are Health in Action and Forget Thee Not founded by Dr Fan Ning (MBA 2009). Building on his innovative spirit and dedication to primary healthcare, Dr Fan leverages the engagement networks of both organisations to drive joint actions across the social welfare sector in the face of adversity. “Like every journey, life has its start and end. I hope every one of us can celebrate this journey and recognise the deeper meaning of it, even in times of difficulties.”
Driving Medical-Social Collaboration
Dr Fan has been a strong advocate for primary healthcare development even before the COVID-19 outbreak. His experiences in Government Flying Service and Médecins Sans Frontières galvanised him into rethinking some of the deep-seated preconceptions in the wealthy society of Hong Kong, such as “aged people must be plagued by chronic illness” and “urban diseases are inevitable”`. To Dr Fan, what defines a good doctor is not the number of operations performed; the merit of medical doctor is measured by his ability to “combine medicine and humanities, while guiding the public towards better health management in everyday life.”
With this in mind, Dr Fan founded Health in Action in 2011 to spearhead the development of healthcare services for the underprivileged in Hong Kong in a service-research-advocacy cycle. He went on to initiate Forget Thee Not in 2014 to facilitate proactive planning in hospice care, funeral arrangement, and other matters concerning the end-of-life journey. The two organisations offer much-needed community support during the pandemic.
“In every crisis, there is an opportunity. Health in Action was one of the pioneers offering remote health care in Hong Kong, with training and primary healthcare development support targeting frontline social organisations.” Leveraging the robust infrastructure and network, the team was able to act swiftly against the fifth wave of outbreak. “We also help alleviate pressure on public health services through the Community Pharmacy and dissemination of health protection information and resources, with a view to enhancing self-management of diseases in the community. As a means to channel collective sentiment into solidarity, netizens are encouraged to share their own stories on our platform in the spirit of mutual support.” Forget Thee Not, on the other hand, champions eco coffins as well as the expression of love, gratitude, apologies, and farewell. The organisation strived to relieve the plights of the death care industry and families of the deceased when death rate reached its highest at the peak of the pandemic. “Our efforts paid off when we saw family members went from panic to peace.”
The Health in Action Community Pharmacy led by pharmacists distributes stand-by medications in the community during the fifth wave of outbreak
Dr Fan teaches morgue workers to use DOMS (a stable chlorine dioxide solution that helps prevent the deceased from decaying for days).Forget Thee Not also donates eco coffins to hospitals to give dignity back to the deceased in time of coffin shortage
Joint Effort to Explore Endless Possibilities
The cross-disciplinary approach adopted by Dr Fan was inspired by the MBA training he received at the CUHK Business School. “It reminded me that I could think outside the public healthcare framework and apply ‘business management mindset’ to engage stakeholders in the community, namely the middle class, the retired, and caregivers, in collaborative actions that help consolidate medical resources for common good.” The synergy of collective actions offer sustainable impetus for long-term success. “We must stand together and harness the impact of collective actions in the face of great challenges. I look forward to exploring new solutions with stakeholders by tapping into the joy of life through imagination and empathy.”
The goal of Dr Fan and his team is to put a smile on the faces of the beneficiaries, thereby encapsulating the values of life