PROBLEM STATEMENT

There is no credible, independent and impactful, patient association for eczema patients in Hong Kong.

TARGET GROUP

Eczema patients from children to adults.

ECZEMA INTRODUCTION

Owing to poor health literacy and under-resourced public health focus, a staggering two-fifths (41.6%) of primary school children in Hong Kong suffer from a chronic disease called eczema, characterized by highly visible red, oozing, flaky and dry skin that covers a patient’s body in open wounds, and exposed to the environment including airborne allergens and faced with social stigma - bullying in the case of children, and employment opportunity discrimination in adults.

PROBLEM IN NUMBERS

Eczema belongs to the OFTEN NEGLECTED diseases in the world of other ‘bigger diseases’ like diabetes, heart disease, cancer, leading to underfunding, extremely limited support, and continued marginalization for this patient demographic - by patient numbers: 500,000 (Hong Kong), 1,700,000 (Australia), 8,200,000 (Japan), 94,000,000 (Mainland China), and 312 million (Asia Pacific). For perspective, there are 581,000 in Switzerland, 22,400,000 patients in the United States, and trend towards 600 million patients in the world.

PROBLEM IN 2024

From COVID we learnt that digital MISINFORMATION is a deadly driver in preventable mortality and long-term chronic disease symptoms. In Hong Kong unfortunately, many people continue to rely on a localized joke called ‘Google God’ or ‘Doctor Google’ causing spending on pseudoscientific and ineffective treatments, thus continuous relapse of disease, burdening household income and quality of life.

SOLUTION

In Hong Kong, I would like to lead by example in Asia to establish an independent charity that will last for generations and provide core sustainable services beyond a simple social media post, specifically:

1. SUBSIDIZED HEALTH SERVICE - Comprehensive Health Consultations: A detailed root cause assessment service for eczema patients led by multidisciplinary health teams (including doctor, pharmacist, nurse, nutritionists) will be offered subsidized for underprivileged populations where spending on such treatments in the private market would otherwise by impoverishing, leading to delayed or intentional skipping of medical treatment for other daily expenses. Currently to my knowledge, no global eczema charity is performing this service given the labor-intensive logistics required, and it will be a unique value proposition of the Hong Kong organization.


2. SOCIAL INCLUSIVITY - Public Awareness Campaigns: Health knowledge and informed empathy in non-patients must increase for true social cohesion and inclusivity. This is the path to social integration to reduce social stigma, employment discrimination and childhood bullying which underpin the prevalence of suicidal ideations. We foresee the World Eczema Day on 14th Sep 2024 to be a highlight event that launches the Hong Kong Eczema Association.


3. SUSTAINABLE HEALTH IMPACT - Evidence-Based Self-Help Resource: With healthcare professionals we will set up fundamental health content that supports the local community in understanding their eczema, factors that trigger symptoms and how to avoid them, treatment options and support available. We will finally fill the void as there is still no centralized resource for eczema patients in Hong Kong for the past century. Measurable changes in health literacy pave way for sustainable impact.

OUTPUTS/KPIs

• KPI 1: Awareness & Knowledge # of health talks delivered to schools, NGOs # of health content pieces produced (reviewed by healthcare professionals) # of pledges to the eczema awareness campaign as ally (non-patients)


• KPI 2: Health Interventions # of patients provided a subsidized health service (consultation/coaching)


• KPI 3: Donations (From Project to Beneficiaries) # of donated essential health goods (e.g., skincare products, supplements) # of donated health booklets (professionally vetted, localized knowledge)

For more information: wederm.hk