Honorary Professor, School of Public Health, The University of Hong Kong
Director, Asian Consultancy on Tobacco Control
Senior Policy Advisor, World Health Organization
Honorary Consultant, Department of Health, The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
Dr Judith Mackay is a medical graduate from Edinburgh University, Scotland. She has lived in Hong Kong since 1967, initially working as a hospital physician, then since 1984 concentrating on public health, especially tobacco control.
She is Director of the Asian Consultancy on Tobacco Control, Senior Policy Advisor to World Health Organization, Honorary Consultant to the Department of Health in Hong Kong and, since 1997 an Honorary Professor in the School of Public Health, The University of Hong Kong.
Her particular interests are tobacco control in low-income countries; challenging the tobacco industry; and tobacco and women. She has developed extensive experience in working with national governments and health organisations in Asia and the Middle East in developing comprehensive tobacco control policies.
She has published over 270 academic papers and addressed over 600 conferences worldwide. She has authored or co-authored twelve health atlases, including several editions of “The Tobacco Atlas”.
Dr Mackay has received the WHO Commemorative Medal, the APACT Presidential and Founding International Achievement Award, and national awards from Hong Kong (the Silver Bauhinia Star); the United Kingdom (MBE, then OBE); the United States of America (the US Surgeon General's Medallion), Thailand (the King's Royal Award); and China. From the USA in 2000, she received the Luther Terry Award for Outstanding Individual Leadership, and the Fries Prize. In 2006, she received the INWAT (International Network of Women Against Tobacco) Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2006, she was selected by Time Magazine as one of 60 Asian Heroes from the previous 60 years; in 2007 selected as one of the Time 100 World’s Most Influential People, and in 2009 received the first-ever British Medical Journal Group Lifetime Achievement Award.
She has been named one of the three most dangerous people in the world by the tobacco industry.
Obstacles to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) control in Hong Kong are identical to virtually everywhere in the world: the focus and funding of governments on curative medicine not prevention, lack of funds for research and intervention, lack of involvement by health professionals, lack of awareness of the magnitude of the harm, reluctance to intervene with “personal behaviour”, preoccupation with other issues such as wars or other health issues like COVID (which may cause far fewer deaths), misperceived economic concerns, and no understanding of the environmental consequences. But the greatest obstacle is the vectors – the unhealthy commodity industries – by their opposition to public health policy, their advertising, promotion and sponsorship, coupled with their financial might.
The talk will explore how for the last half century these industries in Hong Kong, along with their allies and political supporters, have attempted to hijack the political and legislative processes by challenging public health laws, to exaggerate the economic importance of the industry, to manipulate public opinion to gain the appearance of respectability, to fabricate support through front groups, to discredit the proven science and economic evidence, and to intimidate governments with litigation or the threat of litigation, or trade threats.
The School of Public Health of the University of Hong Kong has been central in countering these negative influences and turning science into policy, for example by undertaking sound research, speaking at seminars along with local and international experts, informing the media including press conferences, attending rallies at the Legislative Council, and lobbying government and legislative councillors. Most importantly, the School has been crucial in countering industry claims. These activities and influence have not been confined to Hong Kong but have extended to global and regional tobacco control activities.
Lessons learned are that health will never be improved in Hong Kong unless industry interference in public health policy is recognised and exposed. Non-governmental organisations and academia can expose industry tactics, but only governments can put a stop to it.
Finally, some solutions, and the need for new ideas.
