Hong Kong Health Secretary Promotes Biomedical Innovation During Hainan Visit

Secretary for Health concludes visit to Hainan Province

The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, led a delegation to continue their visit to Hainan Province today (August 14), touring a local pharmaceutical enterprise and introducing the various measures put forward by the Health Bureau (HHB) to develop Hong Kong into an international health and medical innovation hub, such as enhancing a drug evaluation and registration mechanism, as well as advancing clinical trials.

He said, “To align with the National 15th Five-Year Plan, Hong Kong is vigorously promoting the research and development (R&D) and application of biomedicine technologies. Through the Greater Bay Area International Clinical Trial Institute, the Real-World Study and Application Centre, and the upcoming establishment of the Hong Kong Centre for Medical Products Regulation within this year, Hong Kong will also further improve the mechanism for new drug R&D and approval, and provide comprehensive support for innovative drugs, spanning clinical trials, regulation and approval, and inclusion in the public healthcare system.”

He also welcomed Mainland pharmaceutical companies to conduct clinical trials in Hong Kong, making full use of the unique advantages of the city to facilitate the translation and clinical application of advanced biomedicine technologies in Hong Kong, and leveraging Hong Kong as a platform for bringing innovative drugs to the international markets.

Prior to their departure from Hainan Province, the delegation met with officials of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of Hainan Province. Professor Lo briefed them on the latest developments in Hong Kong’s healthcare policy areas.

Members of the delegation include the Director of Health, Dr Ronald Lam; the Senior Advisor (Secretary for Health’s Office), Dr Joe Fan; the Director of the Real-World Study and Application Centre, Professor Cheung Ching-lung; as well as officers of the HHB, the Department of Health and the Hospital Authority. They concluded the visit and will return to Hong Kong this afternoon.

Hospital Authority Family Medicine Clinics only accept calls with caller ID for appointment booking starting tomorrow

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

A spokesperson for the Hospital Authority (HA) reminded the public today (August 14) that, to further safeguard patients’ personal data and privacy, starting tomorrow (August 15), the telephone appointment system (TAS) of Family Medicine Clinics (FMCs) will only accept calls from phone numbers with caller ID for appointment booking. If patients hide their phone number before calling the TAS, the system will automatically play a recorded message reminding them to switch to a phone with caller ID and call the FMC again.

For patients with episodic diseases requiring consultation services (such as influenza or gastroenteritis), before calling the TAS of an FMC, they may first check whether the “Show my caller ID” function is enabled in the settings of their mobile phones. If a patient’s landline has opted for a per-line blocking, they should dial 1357 before making a call to display the phone number once for that specific call, or contact the telecommunications service provider to cancel the arrangement for per-line blocking.

The spokesperson for HA reiterated that the updated TAS of FMCs, which no longer accepts calls without caller ID for appointment bookings, aims to accurately record the source of each booking call, facilitate verification of patient information when necessary, and help prevent criminals from using phones without caller ID to impersonate patients when making appointments, thereby enhancing protection for patients.

The HA reminds new patients, namely those who have never registered in the HA nor used HA services, that they are required to bring their original identity documents and visit any FMC in person to register and verify their information before they can use the telephone appointment service thereafter. As for chronic disease patients, after each follow-up visit, the FMC will arrange the next appointment based on the patients’ clinical needs, and these patients do not need to make an appointment again by calling the TAS. The HA encourages patients to use the Book FMC function in the mobile application, HA Go, which is more convenient and efficient.