The Hong Kong Hospital Authority launched its annual convention and the special Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) Forum Saturday.

Over 2000 clinicians and healthcare professionals from the overseas and from Chinese Mainland and the local community attend the convention and forum.

According to Chief Executive of Hong Kong HA William Ho, the SARS forum provided unique opportunities for discussions and reviews of the significant findings on SARS.

Medical experts said the rehabilitation in a holistic approach was very important to SARS patients, who might encounter difficulties in returning to the work place. As suggested, physical, occupational and psychosocial components were essential to help SARS patients to restore normal function of patients, theyadded.

Also, experts from both Hong Kong and Chinese Mainland have found that Chinese medicine has brought satisfactory results in SARS treatment. A study done by Mainland researchers found that the recovery rate of SARS patience was 93.2 percent.

Researchers in Hong Kong have found that by integrating Westernmedical treatment and Chinese medicine, the hospital stay of SARS patients could be shortened and the chance that the patients suffering from side effects bought by traditional treatment would be reduced.