Neurological diseases inflict high morbidity and mortality in China: Stroke is now the No. 1 cause of death with 1.7 million deaths each year; 9.2 million persons live with dementia and almost half of the 4 million people suffering from Parkinson’s disease worldwide live in China.
Teaching and research in neurological diseases have advanced greatly in the last decade but we are still far behind the standard in Europe and the U.S. A world congress of neurology in Hong Kong will lift the standard of care and research capability of neurology in China. The Organizing Committee of the 2017 Hong Kong WCN bid has confirmed $200,000 (U.S.) donations to provide scholarship for neurologists from the developing countries to come to Hong Kong and learn from the top experts.
The Bidding Committee also has secured funding of $150,000 (U.S.) from the Hong Kong Tourism Board to support social activities and hospitality arrangement in order to save the congress budget. We will continue to seek more financial support from other charitable foundations in Hong Kong.
The Hong Kong Neurological Society, with the full support of the Chinese Society of Neurology, will promote the mission of WFN in pursuit of the highest standards of neurology and brain health worldwide. The society has hosted a number of successful major international congresses in the field of neurology, neuroscience and related disciplines, including the Third International Symposium of the Asian and Pacific Parkinson’s Disease Association in 2001, the Fourth World Congress in Neurological Rehabilitation in 2006, the Ninth International Symposium on Thrombolysis and Acute Stroke Therapy in 2006 and the forthcoming 14th Asian and Oceanian Congress of Neurology in 2014. The feedback on all these meetings, many of which had thousands of delegates, was consistently excellent with regard to both the scientific content and the social and administrative aspects.
As Asia’s world city, Hong Kong is a culturally diverse and sophisticated metropolis that blends eastern and western influences into a dynamic destination. Located at the heart of Asia’s most popular business locations that also links to Mainland China, Hong Kong is a highly accessible and safe city that is renowned for its success in hosting significant international and regional conventions from the World Trade Organization’s Sixth Annual Ministerial Conference to a number of the world’s high-profile conventions. The liberal visa policy allows foreign visitors from more than 160 countries to visit Hong Kong visa free.
Hong Kong has the world-class facilities, state-of–the-art venues like the Asia World-Expo providing function space with exhibition halls and meeting space of various sizes, a vast array of accommodations and professional support services to make conference an ultimate success, not to mention the whole experience of great dining, diverse shopping opportunities, sightseeing and exploring the culture and heritage of this vibrant metropolis. A wide selection of tours, ranging from sightseeing harbor cruises to a heritage tour, are also available for delegates to join before and after meetings.
The Chinese Society of Neurology under the Chinese Medical Association is the national organization representing all neurologists and neuroscientists in China. The Chinese Society of Neurology had pledged full support of the Congress should Hong Kong win the bid. With the support of the Beijing Central Government and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, we expect thousands of Chinese neurologists and neuroscientists will attend the Congress.
On behalf of the Bidding Committee, we are confident that the Hong Kong Neurological Society will deliver a successful 2017 World Congress of Neurology and look forward to welcoming delegates from all over the world to experience the unique and truly exhilarating experience that is Hong Kong.
