This handbook presents and discusses pertinent issues in public health, and required actions in sustainability development in the context of global population health in Asia-Pacific (APAC), making practical suggestions and proposing strategic solutions for the region. It is organised into seven sections that look at sustainable health systems and public health, digital health and technology adoption, ageing populations, the social and built environment and community health, ethics, social responsibility and policies in public health, health improvement and long-term care, and the pandemic and post-pandemic public health. It plays particular attention to the regionally-specific challenge of an increasing ageing population and the rise in disabilities, as well as considering health care in relation to financial and environmental perspectives. Like other regions of the world, APAC is encountering emerging new diseases, amidst growing concerns regarding chronic conditions, while continuously fighting prevalent communicable diseases. With the emergence of the fourth healthcare revolution, ‘Health Care 4.0’, as well as the smart city movement, digitalisation and technology have been adopted more and more in public health practices to provide timely information, solutions and innovations. The influence of social determinants and environmental factors, natural and built, are impacting population health as a result of globalisation and economic developments. As the world becomes more sophisticated, concerns relating to ethics, social responsibility, law, policies and governance have become more complex, and international relations have become increasingly linked to public health. Inter-country differences have become especially prominent during the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of access to medical supplies, travelling restrictions, quarantine requirements, vaccination access, and so on. This contemporary, comprehensive, imperative reference work places APAC in a new paradigm of public health, underpinned by a consensus that pulls together social, cultural and political forces in advocating for a more coherent approach for better outcomes. It is an indispensable reference for scholars, teachers, students, researchers, policymakers and practitioners in the fields of public health and community care.

Dr Ben Y. F. Fong received his medical training at the University of Sydney, where he had also completed a Master’s in Public Health. He is a Specialist in Community Medicine and has also achieved post-graduate qualifications in Medical Administration, Community Medicine, Family Medicine and Occupational Medicine. Ben is currently the Professor of Practice (Health Studies) and Associate Division Head of the Division of Science, Engineering and Health Studies, and Director of the Centre for Ageing and Healthcare Management Research of the College of Professional and Continuing Education at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China. In over forty years of his professional career, Ben has served in public, private and university healthcare facilities both in Hong Kong and Sydney. He has commissioned and managed two hospitals in Hong Kong, including Ruttonjee Hospital and a new private hospital, Union Hospital. He has also served as the Director of University Health Service of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), and as the Deputy Medical Superintendent of Prince Henry Hospital, a teaching hospital of the University of New South Wales, Australia. He founded the Hong Kong College of Community Health Practitioners as its Founding President since 2017. Academically, Ben has been teaching medical, nursing and Chinese medicine students. He is appointed Honorary Clinical Associate Professor in Family Medicine at both CUHK and The University of Hong Kong, as well as in the School of Chinese Medicine at CUHK. He has contributed to publications, including The Handbook of Primary Healthcare-The Case of Hong Kong, The Routledge Handbook of Public Health and the Community, a training manual for general practitioners in China published by the People’s Medical Publishing House in Beijing, over 30 health books in Chinese, over 50 book chapters, and over 60 journal papers.