Hong Kong Department of Health: Hong Kong actively implements the Greater Bay Area integration and development strategy to promote innovative cross-border medical cooperation.

On July 10, Professor Sophia Chan, Secretary for Food and Health of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, stated at a meeting of the Health Services Panel of the Legislative Council that over the past few years, the Hong Kong government has been actively implementing the national strategy to promote the integration development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (Greater Bay Area), while adhering to the premise of promoting medical and health development beneficial to both Hong Kong and the mainland. With the support of various ministries of the country and cooperation from various provinces and cities, Hong Kong University Shenzhen Hospital (HKU Shenzhen Hospital) has been used as a symbolic test platform to promote the implementation of various important cross-border medical cooperation measures. Professor Chan introduced that in 2024, the Hong Kong government will implement the "Elderly Medical Voucher Greater Bay Area Pilot Scheme", expanding the scope of elderly medical vouchers from HKU Shenzhen Hospital to 7 comprehensive medical/dental service institutions located in the Greater Bay Area. In 2025, 12 more medical institutions will be added to cover all nine mainland cities in the Greater Bay Area along with HKU Shenzhen Hospital. Eligible elderly individuals can choose to use the medical voucher at a total of 21 service points in the Greater Bay Area. As of now, besides HKU Shenzhen Hospital, over 40,600 eligible elderly individuals have used medical vouchers to pay for outpatient medical and nursing services under the pilot scheme, involving approximately 101,000 transactions and a total claim amount of about 103.28 million Hong Kong dollars. In 2023, the Hong Kong government launched the "Support for the Authority of the Greater Bay Area Hospitals Patient Navigator Plan", allowing eligible patients of the Hong Kong Hospital Authority in Guangdong Province to choose to receive subsidized diagnostic and treatment services at HKU Shenzhen Hospital. Over 6,100 patients have participated in the Patient Navigator Plan, with a total of 27,000 patient visits. With support from various ministries of the country, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, together with the Guangdong Province and Shenzhen Municipal Government, as well as the Macao Special Administrative Region Government, will fully open the cross-border ambulance service from Shenzhen, Macao, Zhuhai, and Nansha to designated public hospitals in Hong Kong as a pilot plan starting in November 2025. The two-way transfer arrangement with Shenzhen, Macao, and Zhuhai has been implemented since March this year, benefiting 29 patients so far. In July 2024, the Hong Kong government will gradually promote the use of the "Cross-border Health Record" and "Personal Health Record" functions of the "Medical eHealth App" at a total of 20 medical institutions under the HKU Shenzhen Hospital and the "Elderly Medical Voucher Greater Bay Area Pilot Scheme". Since December last year, the "Cross-border Health Record" function has been expanded to cover 7.5 million citizens in Hong Kong, while the "Personal Health Record" function has been enhanced since January 27 this year, allowing citizens to authorize three designated medical institutions in the Greater Bay Area to directly store their high-resolution radiographic images and reports in their "Personal Health Record" in the Medical eHealth App, facilitating cross-border medical record circulation and improving the quality and safety of healthcare. Professor Chan also mentioned that the country has launched the "Hong Kong and Macao Medical Equipment Pass" policy to provide more advanced medicines and medical equipment for patients in the Greater Bay Area. As of April 30, 2026, 71 types of drugs and 91 types of medical devices that are already listed and used in Hong Kong and Macao have been approved for use in 71 designated medical institutions in mainland cities of the Greater Bay Area. Hong Kong will further leverage its institutional advantages, establish a Center for Drug and Medical Device Regulation and supervise, and implement a more proactive drug and medical equipment approval and registration mechanism, introducing more innovative medical equipment to the Greater Bay Area. Additionally, Hong Kong has collaborated with mainland hospital accreditation experts to develop the "International Hospital Accreditation Standards (China) (2021 Edition)", which integrates international and national standards based on the national top-tier hospital accreditation standards, becoming the first hospital accreditation system in the country to be certified by the International Healthcare Quality Association. Since 2023, the Hospital Authority of Hong Kong has resumed hospital accreditation programs adopting the "International Standards", with 5 public hospitals successfully passing accreditation, and plans to expand the accreditation program to two more large-scale emergency hospitals in the 2026-27 financial year, ultimately covering all interconnected hospitals in Hong Kong. Professor Chan pointed out that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government is actively formulating Hong Kong's first five-year plan to fully align with the nation's "Thirteenth Five-Year Plan". In terms of medical and health, Hong Kong will cooperate with the country to accelerate the construction of a "Healthy China" and implement a strategy for the prioritization of health development, building a "Healthy Hong Kong". Promoting innovative cross-border medical cooperation not only helps Hong Kong integrate into the "Healthy Bay Area" but also showcases Hong Kong's high-level international healthcare capabilities, assisting in the country's medical standards going global and demonstrating the unique advantages and value of Hong Kong in integrating into and serving the overall development of the country.