Hong Kong College of Cardiology

Hong Kong was occupied by the British during the Opium War in 1841 and was ceded to Britain as a colony under the Treaty of Nanking in 1843. The Kowloon peninsula and the New Territories were added to the colony in 1860 and 1897 respectively under the Conventions of Peking, increasing the size of the colony from 78 sq. km. to a total of 2,060 sq. km. From a fishing village and a pirates' haunt of 6,000 inhabitants, Hong Kong has transformed into a thriving city of 7.1 million people in 170 years. The sovereignty of Hong Kong was returned to China in 1997 in accordance with the 1984 Joint Sino-British Declaration.

Objectives:
• to promote for the public benefit the advancement of knowledge of the science and art of medicine, with particular reference to the cardiovascular system (broadly defined hereinafter as cardiovascular medicine);
• to act as a body for the purpose of consultation in matters of educational or public interest concerning cardiovascular medicine;
• to develop and maintain the good practice of cardiovascular medicine by ensuring the highest professional standards of competence and ethical integrity;
• to institute and provide lectures and demonstrations upon medical subjects for the benefit of the members of the College and to admit to such lectures and demonstrations persons who are not members of the College on such occasions as shall be deemed expedient by the College;
• to consider all questions affecting the interests of the College and to promote or oppose any measure relating to medicine or the interests of the College as may be deemed expedient by the College;
• if and when considered advisable to apply or petition for or promote an Ordinance to be passed for the purposes of the College or for the reincorporation for the members thereof or for continuing or expanding the work thereof;
• to acquire establish print issue and circulate such magazines periodicals circulars calendars or other literary or scientific works as may seem conducive to the promotion of these objects or in any way beneficial to the College;
• to acquire by purchase donation or otherwise a library of scientific works and to maintain and from time to time extend and improve such a library;
• to establish and support or aid in the establishment and support of any charitable or benevolent associations or institutions connected with the purpose of the College or calculated to further its objects provided that the College shall not amalgamate with any association or institution unless it shall prohibit the distribution of its income and property among its members to an extent at least as great as is imposed on the College under or by virtue of Clause 4 hereof;
• to promote, monitor and assess the training in cardiovascular medicine for the public benefit;
• to promote research in cardiovascular medicine for the public benefit;
• to disseminate information on matters affecting the College;
• to advise on medical matters, to represent a medical view by representation of the College on appropriate medical and health bodies and to obtain and maintain recognition as the body responsible for cardiovascular medicine (provided always that any benefit obtained by members of the College as a result of such recognition should be merely incidental to the achievement of the objects of the College);
to provide a focus for academic cardiovascular medicine throughout Hong Kong;
• to liaise with other medical faculties or bodies about matters of mutual interest;
• to promote international communication in the field of cardiovascular medicine;
• to achieve the objects ad powers, it is in order for the College:
○ to accept any gift donation endowment or bequest made to the College generally or for the purpose of any specific object of interest to the College and to carry out any trusts attached to any such gift donation endowment or bequest;
○ to procure the College to be registered or recognized in any country or place outside Hong Kong as shall be deemed desirable or expedient by the College;
○ to purchase take on lease or in exchange hire or otherwise acquire any real and personal property wheresoever situate and any rights or privileges which the College may think necessary or convenient for the purposes for which it is etablished and in particular any lands buildings plant and equipment;
○ to do all such other things as are incidental or conducive to the attainment of the above objects.