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Our History

The Paediatric Nephrology Service in Hong Kong and the History of Hong Kong Paediatric Society

Paediatric Nephrology Service in Hong Kong

A Brief Summary

Celebrating dedication to kidney health among children, at the 20th Anniversary of HKPNS in 2009.

Celebrating dedication to kidney health among children, at the 20th Anniversary of HKPNS in 2009.

Hong Kong Paediatric Nephrology Society

When Paediatrics started as a medical specialty in Hong Kong in the 1960s, Dr. TSAO Yen-chow from the University of Hong Kong pioneered the work on children’s kidney diseases, particularly on paediatric glomerular diseases and pathology.  With the conjoint effort of loving paediatricians who were devoted to the care of children with kidney diseases, acute peritoneal dialysis was first started in the 70s while continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) was implemented in children in the 80s.

 

Dr CHIU man-chun, our founder and a phenomenal leader who spearheaded the development of Paediatric Nephrology in Asia, set up the first Pediatric Nephrology Centre in Princess Margaret Hospital in Hong Kong in 1999.  New services including automated peritoneal dialysis (APD), hemodialysis (HD) and transplant services were established, supporting many children in need. The Paediatric Nephrology Centre was translocated to the Hong Kong Children’s Hospital (HKCH) in 2019 and remains to the sole tertiary referral centre for kidney replacement therapy and management of complicated kidney diseases.

 

The Paediatric Nephrology centre was the 5TH Transplant centre in Hong Kong and a Nephrology Centre under central Renal Committee (CRC) of the Hospital Authority (HA). The unit runs a number of comprehensive programmes involving multiple disciplines, such as chronic kidney disease programme, dialysis programme, (PD and HD) and transplant programmes, optimizing the care for children with kidney diseases. The Paediatric Nephrology team has been awarded the Outstanding team of the Hong Kong Hospital Authority in 2017.  To date, the Paediatric Nephrology Centre is an active training unit under the international Paediatric Nephrology Association (IPNA) to support training of doctors in Paediatric Nephrology from all over the world. 

Our Story

The Conception (1986-1989)

In 1986, Dr. CHIU Man Chun, Dr. CHOW Chun Bong, Dr. LEUNG Shu Piu, and Dr. Edwin YU Chau Leung, attended the 7th International Paediatric Nephrology Association Meeting in Tokyo. While attending the congress, the four decided to form an academic society for Paediatric Nephrology on 9th of September 1986.  Their goal was to facilitate the development of Paediatric Nephrology in Hong Kong. 

 

A founding group was subsequently formed, including Dr. CHIU Man-chun, Dr. CHOW Chun-bong, Dr. LEUNG Shu-piu, Dr. WONG Sik-nin, Dr. TSAO Yen-chow, Dr. YAU Fai-to, and Dr. Edwin YU Chau-leung. The Society for the study of kidney diseases in children was formally established on 3 July 1989. The first Annual General Meeting was held on 3rd August 1989, with Dr. Edwin YU Chau-leung elected as the first president. 

 

Professor Martin Barratt from London was invited as the guest speaker to mark the historical occasion of Inauguration on 29 September 1989.

The budding years (1990-1995)

Since the establishment of our Society, collaborations between local paediatricians with special interest in Paediatric Nephrology were greatly enhanced via regular inter-hospital clinical meetings and joint meetings with pathologists and adult nephrologists.  

 

The Society organized numerous medical conferences and teaching courses on Paediatric Nephrology.  

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World renowned overseas speakers were invited to share with the local paediatric community on the advances of various topics and the vibrant academic exchanges have inspired many. The Society, as well as the subspecialty, began to develop with great promise.  

Thriving years (1996-2020)

Keeping the momentum, the society grew in size and many young members were passionate to learn more about Paediatric Nephrology. Members were encouraged by the Society to participate in various local and international Paediatric Nephrology meetings.  

 

In 1996, the Asian Pediatric Nephrology Association (ASPNA) was formed, and our Society participated as one of the founding societies.  The Society was renamed as the Hong Kong Paediatric Nephrology Society (HKPNS) in 1996.  

 

From 1997, HKPNS began to broaden the network with paediatric nephrologists in China with various scientific and academic collaborations. The friendly collaborations remain to be impactful and vibrant till present. 

 The Way Forward 

After more than three decades of diligence and perseverance, HKPNS has become the leading professional society in promoting education in Paediatric Nephrology in Hong Kong. 

 

Regular academic meetings and educational webinars in various innovative formats are held and very well received by the audience. Apart from medical education, HKPNS is also devoted to public education on children’s kidney health and promotion of organ donation, by means of media interviews and publication.  

 

HKPNS works closely with various professional organizations including the Hong Kong College of Paediatricians and non-governmental organizations (NGO) such as Children’s Kidney fund to promote training of medical professionals.  

 

At a global level, HKPNS works closely with AsPNA and IPNA, and has been actively contributing to scientific collaborations and educational incentives.  HKPNS has been working relentlessly to facilitate professional training and education in Paediatric Nephrology, so as to empower our members to provide best care for children with kidney diseases.  HKPNS would continue our mission for the beloved children we care.  

This article was written by Dr MA Lap-tak, Alison, based on the original draft by the late Dr CHIU Man-chun, on behalf of the Hong Kong Paediatric Nephrology Society on 11th March 2022

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