Empowering Lives: Dedication to Public Welfare and Comprehensive Healthcare Strategies

Individual wellbeing depends fundamentally on robust healthcare systems. The Shaw Foundation has consistently championed advances in medical care, evolving its support alongside Hong Kong’s public healthcare system. As medical and social service organisations have matured and strengthened over recent decades, the Foundation has strategically recalibrated its approach — from foundational infrastructure to capacity-building, ensuring vulnerable populations receive comprehensive care while maintaining their quality of life, dignity, and independence. Today, the Foundation helps bridge service gaps in under-resourced areas of local healthcare, collaborating with community partners to enhance access, quality, and continuity of care. This people-centred approach reflects a strong commitment to delivering compassionate, equitable support where it’s needed most.

Supporting Infrastructure Development

During the 1980’s, Hong Kong faced substantial healthcare challenges stemming from rapid population growth and limited infrastructure. The Foundation responded decisively by prioritising support for essential healthcare facilities when hospitals and institutions struggled to secure adequate funding. Through strategic donations and investments, the Foundation provided immediate healthcare solutions whilst laying the groundwork for long-term improvements in medical services, enabling institutions to innovate and adapt to evolving community health needs.

Notably, the Run Run Shaw Heart & Diagnostic Centre at St. Teresa’s Hospital, opened in 1989, addressed the increasing prevalence of heart disease by creating one of the few private facilities equipped with cardiac catheterisation technology at that time. Similarly, the Sir Run Run Shaw Building at United Christian Hospital, completed in 1996, significantly enhanced the healthcare system’s capacity to serve a growing population.

Innovative Projects to Enhance Quality of Life and Society’s Resilience

Following the public healthcare reforms initiated in 1990, Hong Kong’s healthcare system evolved into a more comprehensive and sophisticated network, strengthened by enhanced government support and progressive policy frameworks. As this progress stabilised foundational healthcare services, the Shaw Foundation strategically pivoted towards addressing specialised healthcare needs that remained critically underserved. By meticulously identifying critical gaps within the healthcare ecosystem — from care for underserved populations to strengthening community resilience — the Foundation has launched innovative and holistic projects that elevate quality of life for vulnerable individuals while extending vital support to their carers and families. These initiatives foster patient autonomy, dignity, and empowerment, simultaneously enhancing community health resilience.

Three exemplary projects demonstrate this approach:

The Shaw Foundation Mobile Pain Management Centre

Launched in January 2024 with the Hong Kong PHAB Association, this is Hong Kong’s only mobile unit offering both Western medical and physiotherapy services. It delivers comprehensive pain treatment directly to elderly and disabled individuals in densely populated areas, overcoming mobility barriers. The centre provides pain assessments, therapeutic equipment, and education, exceeding its reach targets by September 2024 and addressing substantial unmet needs.

Automated Peritoneal Dialysis (APD) Machines Donation

Since 2022, the Foundation has donated 186 APD machines to the Hong Kong Kidney Foundation, enabling kidney failure patients to perform dialysis at home overnight. This innovation helps patients and carers maintain daytime employment, preserve family income, and regain control over their daily lives, promoting dignity and autonomy throughout treatment.

“Walking Through Storms, Embracing Life and Death” Programme

In partnership with HKU, this initiative supports ICU survivors and their families by addressing post-intensive care syndrome’s physical, cognitive, and psychiatric challenges. Through support groups and follow-up visits, it helps patients navigate recovery challenges and reduces hospital readmissions, alleviating pressure on acute care facilities and strengthening community recovery.

Anticipating Future Healthcare Challenges

While building community resilience through engagement projects remains vital, preventing illness and promoting daily health are equally crucial pillars of sustainable healthcare. Applying foresight, the Shaw Foundation has recently refocused its efforts towards preventive healthcare, closely aligning with government strategies to address the demands of an ageing population and rising prevalence of chronic diseases. This forward-looking approach embraces emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, to enhance early detection and proactive health management.

The Foundation collaborated with the Hong Kong Breast Cancer Foundation by sponsoring the acquisition of a state-of-the-art automated breast ultrasound (ABUS) system, which has been proven to enhance breast cancer screening. By integrating traditional mammography with ABUS technology, screening accuracy and early detection rates have improved, reliance on highly skilled sonographers has been reduced, and, consequently, waiting times for diagnosis have been shortened — transforming patient outcomes. This marks a significant step forward in breast cancer care, ensuring that more women receive timely and accurate diagnoses.

Through fostering a sustainable healthcare ecosystem, the Shaw Foundation is contributing meaningfully to the ongoing development of Hong Kong’s healthcare landscape. With a strong belief that prevention is better than cure, the Foundation places increasing emphasis on disease screening and preventative programmes. Embracing innovation and technology, the Foundation works to expand access to care and reduce disparities, particularly among vulnerable groups. In addressing today’s pressing healthcare challenges while laying the groundwork for long-term resilience, the Shaw Foundation is helping to secure a healthier, more inclusive future for all.