As the “Law on Veterinary Clinical Care and Commercial Activity of Animals” will come into force on 1 April 2024, the Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) proactively carries out preliminary preparations by drawing experiences from outside Macao in the areas of certification of veterinary professional accreditation, veterinary training, evaluation of academic qualifications, etc., so as to prepare a local accreditation regime of certification of professional qualifications of veterinary surgeons that is in line with international standards. IAM delegation earlier went to Guangzhou and paid a visit to an expert group from an institution of veterinary medicine in the Mainland, and invited the expert group to visit Macao for an exchange with the members of the Council of Veterinary Medicine Professionals (CPMV) for enhancing mutual understanding and exploring the development of the sector.
The “Law on Veterinary Clinical Care and Commercial Activity of Animals” establishes the regime of veterinary professional accreditation and the regime of licensing and supervision of establishments of veterinary clinical care, breeding, sale or boarding of animals, and adopts transitional measures. To complement the implementation of the relevant law, IAM set up CPMV in accordance with the law in July this year after conducting related research and assessment. The council will carry out follow-up work in its capacity, including preparing and approving the conditions for accreditation of academic qualifications in the field of veterinary medicine and qualifications for the exercise of the profession of veterinary surgeon obtained abroad, reviewing and deciding on the applications for certification of professional accreditation, issuing veterinary professional accreditation certificates, preparing and approving the “Code of Professional Ethics of Veterinary Surgeons”, initiating disciplinary procedures, etc. so as to promote the development of the sector of veterinary clinical care and commercial activity of animals in Macao, and to reinforce animal protection and public health protection in the community.
In order to better carry forward the work of CPMV and to draw practical experience from outside Macao, IAM has recently coordinated and arranged for the local council to exchange visits with an expert group from the College of Veterinary Medicine of the South China Agricultural University (SCAU) of China to jointly discuss about the Veterinary Education Core Curriculum developed by the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), the relationship between the effectiveness of veterinary service systems and education, the regimes of veterinary professional competence evaluation and accreditation of qualifications for the exercise of the profession of veterinary surgeon in different regions, the reform and innovation in veterinary degree programmes in the Mainland and the current status of talent training, etc., to deepen the Macao sector’s understanding of the development trends and evaluation of academic qualifications of veterinary profession in different regions, which contributes to the development of the conditions for veterinary professional accreditation in Macao that are in line with international standards.
Furthermore, the Macao delegation visited the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, the veterinary diagnostic centre, and the teaching laboratories of the College of Veterinary Medicine of SCAU of China. The expert group from the Mainland visited the facilities of the Municipal Kennel during their visit to Macao to learn about local animal rescue and sheltering efforts, and visited some private animal clinics in Macao. All parties had in-depth exchanges on the operation models of the veterinary sector and offered their suggestions on the development of the veterinary sector of Macao.
Participants of the activities included: Assistant Dean Sun Yongxue, Professor Guo Xiaofeng, Professor Xiong Huijun, Associate Professor Chen Aolei, Deputy Director of the Veterinary Teaching Hospital Chen Yizhou and Director of the Party and Government Affairs Office of the college Xue Xiaoli from the College of Veterinary Medicine of SCAU; Member of Administration Committee on Municipal Affairs Ung Sau Hong and Head of Division of Animal Inspection and Control Choi Sok I from IAM; CPMV President Wu Sau Fong, council members Tang Pak Lam, Wong Wai Fong, Mai Wubing, Leong Sok Man, Lo Kin Seng and Secretary Lei Hoi Tou.
