Chief Executive John Lee announced on Wednesday the appointment of Cecilia Fan as the new Under Secretary for Health, succeeding Libby Lee, who will become the Hospital Authority's chief executive in August.

Lee will resign as under secretary effective July 14, with Fan assuming the role on the same day.

Fan brings over 30 years of experience within the Department of Health, where she currently serves as a consultant in family medicine.

Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau welcomed Fan's appointment, saying he looks forward to collaborating with her to promote healthcare reform and innovation in the SAR, as well as improving and protecting public health.

"The whole move this time, regarding the three new appointments, is that we have reorganised the team of the whole health family in Hong Kong, not just for the Health Bureau and the Hospital Authority, but also for the primary healthcare as well as the Department of Health," he said.

"We will be having a much stronger team, more coordinated to push forward the healthcare reforms that we are planning. We are confident that we will be able to achieve for the better health for Hong Kong."

Meanwhile, Lee expressed eagerness about her new role at the Hospital Authority, succeeding Tony Ko upon the completion of his contract at the end of July.

"In my previous days in the Hospital Authority, I was always proud – proud of being able to deliver public healthcare services to the public, proud to do research, and proud to teach the next generation for our healthcare profession," she said.

"For my vision, I really want the Hospital Authority to be an authority with warmth, and can build trust to the public, the staff and also the citizens, so we would actually drive in that direction."

Separately, the current chairman of the Hospital Authority, Henry Fan, has been reappointed for a one-year term, effective December 1.