Hong Kong Department of Health: Will extend the "Support for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Hospital Authority Patient Care Plan" until March 31 next year.

The Hong Kong Department of Health (DH) announced today (March 31) that it will extend the "Patient Navigation Scheme for Hospital Authority Patients in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area" (Navigation Scheme) for another year until March 31 next year, allowing eligible Hospital Authority (HA) patients to choose to receive subsidized outpatient services at designated collaborative medical institutions in the Greater Bay Area. The scheme aims to provide more choices for Hong Kong citizens receiving services from the HA, and currently applies to the University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Hospital (HKU Shenzhen Hospital). The Hong Kong government and the HA will review the effectiveness and coverage of the Navigation Scheme annually and make adjustments as appropriate. From May 10, 2023, to the end of February 2025, a total of 5,100 eligible patients have participated in the Navigation Scheme, with over 60% of them being 65 years old or older. According to a patient survey conducted by HKU Shenzhen Hospital at the end of last year, about 90% of respondents expressed satisfaction with the services. To provide more targeted medical support to patients, the Navigation Scheme will be optimized. Starting tomorrow (April 1), eligible patients participating in the scheme must receive outpatient services at the corresponding department of HKU Shenzhen Hospital based on the category of their HA clinic appointment, in order to use the subsidies provided by the Navigation Scheme. Furthermore, the government is also studying the possibility of offering more medical options within the Greater Bay Area for patients receiving specific HA services through the Navigation Scheme, and will introduce relevant measures when ready. Professor Lu Cheung-mau, Director of the DH, said, "The government has always promoted medical and health cooperation in the Greater Bay Area based on the principle of mutual complementation and mutual benefit. The HA will continue to explore deeper medical cooperation projects with suitable institutions and improve the efficiency of public medical services to reduce patient waiting times." Apart from the optimization measures mentioned above, the other arrangements under the extended Navigation Scheme are broadly similar to the current ones. Eligible patients will need to pay a personal fee of RMB 100 for each visit for designated outpatient services at HKU Shenzhen Hospital (excluding designated individuals who are exempt from medical fees as verified by the HA). The personal fee that eligible patients need to pay will be adjusted according to the fees for specialist outpatient services set by the public healthcare fee reform on January 1 next year, with the remaining amount subsidized by the Navigation Scheme, up to a maximum of RMB 2,000 per year, for services used between tomorrow and March 31 next year. The subsidized outpatient services under the Navigation Scheme will continue to cover outpatient services provided by the HA, including anesthesiology (only pain clinic outpatient services), cardiothoracic surgery, clinical oncology, otolaryngology, ophthalmology, gynecology, internal medicine, neurosurgery, obstetrics, orthopedics and trauma surgery, pediatrics, surgery, and general medicine. However, incidental illnesses, inpatient or day ward services, and emergency room services are not covered under the subsidized outpatient services. Eligible patients must receive subsidized outpatient services at the corresponding department of HKU Shenzhen Hospital based on the category of their HA clinic appointment. The subsidy for existing patients under the Navigation Scheme will expire today. Eligible patients who wish to continue participating in the scheme can make appointments for outpatient services at the corresponding department of HKU Shenzhen Hospital based on their HA clinic appointment through existing methods. Before receiving subsidized outpatient services, they must fill out a declaration form confirming their continued participation at HKU Shenzhen Hospital. Patients who do not wish to continue participating in the scheme and want to return to Hong Kong for HA clinic appointments can make the request to HKU Shenzhen Hospital. The hospital will refer them back to the appropriate HA clinic for follow-up appointments based on their clinical needs. As for eligible patients who have never participated in the Navigation Scheme or need to update their personal information, they can apply to HKU Shenzhen Hospital starting tomorrow.