Honorary Fellow Professor Ho-Kei Ma (1998)

Professor MA Ho-kei graduated from the University of Hong Kong in 1958. She became a Lecturer in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the university, and subsequently Professor and Head of the Department in 1972. She was the Dean of the Faculty between 1992 and 1995, and was appointed Professor Emeritus on her retirement in 1995.

This apparently simple career structure however, contrasts with the many and varied contributions Professor Ma has made. These have not only been in science, university life, the medical profession, and the specialty of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, but also to the general welfare of the people of Hong Kong and to women all over the world. It is not possible, Mr. President, for me to recount all of Professor Ma's contributions, but only to highlight a few.

During her career, Professor Ma was highly regarded as an academic. She won many prizes and awards both locally and internationally, published more than 150 papers and reviews in books and learned journals, and delivered more than 200 presentations in postgraduate meetings. She acted as advisor to governments and international bodies, and held senior positions in many international organisations. She had numerous appointments as visiting or honorary professor in universities in China and overseas.

Not so well known to many of us is her great friendship with many colleagues in China, and the many occasions when she traveled to China to teach, at both the undergraduate and graduate level.

Within her university, Professor Ma was highly respected, not only for her expertise in her own subject, but also as an academic leader generally. Even before she became Dean, she represented the faulty widely in university, government and professional bodies. She made a particularly strong contribution towards the planning and early development of the Hospital Authority, and contributed greatly to the proper organisation of patient care in our specialty in the public hospitals.

It was, however, Professor Ma's particular contribution to our specialty and its related disciplines that have had the most profound effect on many of us here today.

Shortly after concluding her specialist training, Professor Ma introduced to Hong Kong the then new technology of immunoassay for chorionic gonadotrophins. This allowed a scientific approach to endocrine disorders and trophoblastic diseases, and led to the development of Gynaecological Oncology and Reproductive medicine as subspecialties of high standards in her department. She then went on to introduce antenatal chromosome analysis and Molecular Biology of genetic diseases, which led to the development of Perinatology as a subspecialty. These efforts have given Hong Kong the lead in the Asia Pacific region, and earned Professor Ma's international recognition as an authority in Gynaecological Oncology, especially on trophoblastic diseases. It also led to her department being internationally recognised as a training centre for Oncology and for Perinatology.

Professor Ma was well known for the highly disciplined approach she introduced to quality control and training in our specialty. The standard of practice during her tenure in Hong Kong visibly improved, and Hong Kong trainees gained a reputation for having low failure rates in the Membership examinations of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.

Professor Ma founded the Hong Kong College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, nursed it through the early stages and ensured its healthy and vibrant development. This was an extremely difficult task, with complex interwoven problems of legal issues, personalities, competing priorities of different sectors of the specialty, and the need for international recognition. She went on to become the Founding President of the College, and did much to ensure the good financial standing and international recognition of the College. Working with her at the time, many of us came to appreciate the enormous foresight and wisdom she displayed, and the stamina with which she applied herself to the task. The current success of the College, particularly the cohesiveness and enthusiasm of its members, owes much to her wisdom and hard work.

Professor Ma also established the Hong Kong O&G Trust Fund, which supports research in our specialty in Hong Kong. This has been one of the few sources of research funding for the less experienced researcher. It has greatly stimulated interests in clinical research, particularly amongst the trainees and the younger doctors in the non-academic sectors.

More important for the medical community in Hong Kong, Professor Ma was a key founding member of the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine, and was responsible for the drafting of its constitution, particularly in the areas of training and standards of practice. She chaired many task forces to resolve difficult problems encountered during the formative stages, and became the Vice President (Education and Examinations) until 1995. Her early guidance, especially regarding training and standards or practice, earned the Academy much respect and trust from the government and the community. The prestige and legal status the Academy enjoys today owes much to these early efforts.

In the Community, Professor Ma served as a Council Member, then the President, for the Family Planning Association of Hong Kong. She also served on the Council of the Hong Kong Association for Maternal and Neonatal Health, the Hong Kong Mid-wives Association and the Hong Kong Anti-Cancer Society. She did much to make family planning available to the general community, and contributed to public education on issues of family life, sex education and family planning. She also made great contributions towards ensuring the good health and welfare of women in Hong Kong, and these efforts were recognised by the community when she was appointed Justice of Peace in 1978 and awarded the CBE in 1996.

Professor Ma's international contributions include membership of two steering committees of the World Health Organization. She served as the Deputy Secretary General of the Asia-Oceania Federation of Obstetrics and Gynaecology between 1985-1987. She served as the Vice-President of the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics between 1991-1994, and was its Secretary-General between 1994-1997. She also serves on the Medical Advisory Panel of the International Planned Parenthood Federation.

Mr. President, Professor Ma is an Obstetrician and Gynaecologist of great stature, and our College should be proud and grateful to have her in our midst. I commend that Professor Ma is a most suitable and deserving person to be the first to receive the greatest honour our College can confer, the Honorary Fellowship of the Hong Kong College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.

Professor Allan Chang
at the conferment ceremony in 1998