Page 31 - Sphere No.29 (Jun 2011)

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Sphere
For many Hong Kong people the word “dietitian” conjures images of
a pricey weight-loss guru in a beauty centre, or of waiting in an over-stretched
public hospital for a few precious minutes with a nutritional expert referred by
a doctor. Watsons is helping to change not only the perception but the reality.
It has cast its net wider into the community by offering paying customers
fast and convenient access to registered dietitians who address practical
concerns ranging from “am I too fat?”, to “how much coffee can I drink?”, to
“can a diabetic eat rice?”
“Our aim is to create a way for the community to benefit from the expertise
of a registered dietitian exactly when and where they need one,” explained
Margaret Lau, Watsons’ Operations Controller, Health & Fitness, as well as the
chain’s Chief Pharmacist.
“We’re happy to see that people are becoming more health conscious. They
are demanding more professional healthcare advice.” As a big chain Watsons
is in a prime position, she believes, to educate citizens on health and lifestyle
issues. “We already provided pharmacists, nurses, health and fitness advisors,”
said Ms Lau. “But more and more customers were asking our pharmacists
for dietary solutions as well as medication. So we decided to add registered
dietitians.”
The first seven stores offering the service are located in the New Territories
(Yuen Long, Fanling and Tai Po), Kowloon (Tsim Sha Tsui and Jordan) and on
Hong Kong Island (Aberdeen and Taikoo Shing). Each dietitian sees about four
clients per day, but the number is rising as more Hong Kong residents learn
about the service.
UK-trained registered dietitian Wendy Liu, who leads Watsons recently
recruited dietitian team, is personally spreading the word. With her nine col-
leagues she regularly participates in radio shows to give tips about diet and
health, writes articles for local newspapers and delivers educational talks to
corporations, including lunch time seminars for employees at Watsons’ New
Territories headquarters in Fo Tan and Hutchison Whampoa Properties at
Whampoa Garden in Hunghom.