The Hong Kong College of Anaesthesiologists

First and foremost, I am deeply humbled and grateful for the trust our fellows, members, and council have placed in me to serve as President of the Hong Kong College of Anaesthesiologists. This message comes later than it should; nonetheless, the delay has afforded me valuable time to listen, reflect, and better appreciate both the strengths we uphold and the challenges we face. I am mindful that this role carries not only honour, but more importantly, a responsibility to uphold the values and standards established by our respectful predecessors.

We stand on strong foundations. We have established a rigorous and respected training system, produced generations of highly competent anaesthesiologists, and fostered a strong culture of professionalism and excellent patient care. These enduring strengths will continue to define us and guide our path.

At the same time, we must reflect deeply and honestly on the challenges ahead. As highlighted in “The Gathering Storm” by Professor Daniel I. Sessler, our specialty faces emerging pressures that demand thoughtful response. Evolving healthcare needs, workforce sustainability, variability in standards of care, and global shifts in medical education compel us to rethink how we train, assess, and develop our clinicians. Parallel to this, the rapid rise of artificial intelligence is reshaping how knowledge is generated, decisions are supported, and care is delivered. If we do not adapt wisely, we risk being shaped by these forces—or even displaced or replaced.

We must therefore evolve with purpose and urgency. In the coming years, we will strive to become an impact-based College that prioritises meaningful improvements in patient outcomes over activity alone; a knowledge-leading community that actively advances perioperative medicine; and a standards creator that shapes—rather than merely follows—best practices. Central to this vision is our commitment to fostering longitudinal competence: supporting our trainees and Fellows to develop, sustain, and continuously refine excellence throughout our professional lives.

This journey will require collective effort, open dialogue, willingness and determination to excel. I look forward to working alongside all of you as we build on our strong foundations and shape the future of our College together.

Dr Yee-eot CHEE
President
2025

Opening and Welcome

Good evening, all our distinguished guests, college Leaders, council members, fellow anaesthesiologists, friends, and most importantly, our new Fellows and you proud families. Let me start by offering each of you my heartfelt congratulations.

Congratulating Graduates

Tonight is a celebration of 6 years of intense dedication, sleepless nights, and remarkable perseverance.

Winston Churchill:
“This is not the end, not even the beginning of the end. But perhaps, the end of the beginning.“

Conferment is not the finish line.
■ It is the beginning of a lifelong career challenges; 
■ It is a transition to full, independent specialist responsibility.

As you begin this journey, I would like to share with you TWO MOTTOs that have guided me through my entire career

1. Professionalism (專業精神)

Our work is often described as 70% boredom and 30% excitement, and much of our best work remains invisible. Patients rarely remember our names, yet this anonymity demands our highest commitment.

In the context of Anaesthesiology, professionalism is not about recognition; it is about quiet excellence even when nothing goes wrong. It means:
■ Mastery of Knowledge and Craftmanship
■ Uncompromising Integrity: Doing the right thing when no one is watching, speaking up when something feels wrong, and standing firm on safety even when inconvenient
■ Humanity: we treat a person, not a disease.
■ Unfailing commitment to Lifelong learning and Continuous Professional Development

2. Specialty’s “Sense of Crisis” (行業危機感)

“The Gathering Storm”
The 2023 Rovenstine Lecture by Daniel I. Sessler.

A few things are quietly brewing over the recent years:
1. Escalating healthcare cost and its Economic Burden on healthcare system to a point that is almost unsustainable
2. Demand-supply imbalance in the no. of anaesthesiologists that results in service inefficiency and frustrations by the broader healthcare system
3. Impact of A.I. in healthcare system

The broader healthcare system and the public at large, are actively seeking healthcare solutions to improve anesthesia access at a much lower cost.
These emerging healthcare solutions, together with the impact of AI, may radically change the landscape of anaesthesia and reshape anesthesia delivery.
In other words, we are facing a looming paradigm shift driven by economic pressure and technological challenges. Therefore, If we, anaesthesiologists remain passive and in status quo, these emerging solutions will redefine perioperative care — potentially marginalizing our specialty.

The future belongs to those who can show added and measurable value across the discipline. Therefore, I urge our new Fellows to:
1. Be proactive: Shape emerging models of care rather than accepting what is imposed on you.
2. Expand your perioperative footprint: Move beyond the operating room into preoperative prehabilitation, and extended post-anaesthesia care (E-PACU).
3. Embrace digital literacy and innovation: Use data analysis and AI to drive better efficiency and outcomes.

 The Future Anaesthetist must be someone:

■ A Perioperative Physician: Optimizing patients from prehabilitation through extended recovery.
■ A System Leader: Designing safer, smarter workflows.
■ A Data-Literate Clinician & Guardian of Safety: Integrating AI tools responsibly while protecting patient dignity in an automated world.

In the movie Blood Brothers (江湖), Andy Lau famously says:
“說咗你不聽，聽咗你不明，明咗你不做，做咗你⼜做錯，錯咗你⼜不認，認咗你⼜不改 ”

Let’s not fall into this trap of inaction: Act decisively, Timely & Appropriately (坐⾔起⾏).

Closing

Tonight is a celebration and a moment of purpose.

On behalf of the Hong Kong College of Anaesthesiologists, I extend my deepest respect, heartfelt congratulations, and complete confidence in each of you.

We look forward to the contributions you will make to the future of anaesthesia in Hong Kong.

Thank you.

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