Dr Leung Tze-ching, Vincent has volunteered to save the lives of babies born in poor rural areas in Mainland China. The paedriatric specialist has, over the years, launched a number of infant health care programmes in Hong Kong
and in the Mainland.

In 2005, Dr Leung visited Yunnan province, and – during the trip – met children with cerebral palsy – a condition usually caused by anoxic brain damage that occurs during birth. As well as helping the children, Dr Leung began looking for ways to help alleviate newborn mortality and prevent perinatal asphyxia which causes cerebral palsy. All these are due to a lack of life-saving medical skills in impoverished areas of the Mainland. When he returned to Hong Kong, Dr Leung raised funds, getting donations from friends and colleagues in the medical sector. He also became chairman of the Hong Kong College of Paediatricians Foundation and launched the “Neonatal Resuscitation Programme” to serve deprived areas in the Mainland.

Since 2006, every year, Dr Leung has headed a team of more than 10 paediatricians to provide intensive week-long training on newborn resuscitation and medical skills to doctors working in Yunnan’s remote areas. Participants learn the latest skills, carry out mock resuscitations under various scenarios and are required to sit through various examinations. The programme covers the Mainland doctors’ transport, board and lodging costs, and includes the donation of essential resuscitation equipment to hospitals. So far over 400 Yunnan physicians have been trained, and over 90% of Yunnan’s hospitals now have trained doctors. The province’s newborn mortality rate has been dramatically reduced. In 2007, Dr Leung started a similar programme in Qinghai, and further extended it since last year to Guizhou province. He plans to also introduce the scheme to Guangxi and Xinjiang.

“The fi rst month after birth has the highest mortality rate,” he says, “Our efforts are worthwhile if we can save their lives. In fact, nothing can be compared to the joy of being able to save an infant.”

As the Honorary Consultant of the Neonatal Unit at Hong Kong Baptist Hospital, Dr Leung carried out a study that confi rmed that the practice of babies born via Caesarean section at just 37 weeks have much higher chance of respiratory distress and other lung problems compared to those born at 38 weeks or later. He convinced the hospital to restrict elective Caesarean deliveries before 38 weeks’ gestation. This has resulted in over 50% decrease in the number of newborns with respiratory problems in the hospital last year. He urges other hospitals to follow suit to reduce the risk of complications in elective deliveries, as well as to reduce the excessive workload for neonatal intensive care units.

Dr Leung also serves the poor. Since 1991, he has given consultations every week as the Visiting Consultant Paediatrician at Sik Sik Yuen Clinic, a charity, in Wong Tai Sin. He donated the allowances for consultants to create a medical diagnosis fund for the sick and needy so that they can have immediate diagnostic imaging and tests without having to queue for public service. Dr Leung was also part of a team of healthcare volunteers, who between 2003 and 2009 gave free medical services to residents of impoverished areas in Cambodia.