HONG KONG - Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau led a delegation on Saturday in a visit to hospitals in Zhongshan and Shenzhen to boost cross-boundary medical collaboration.

Lo and the delegation visited the ZhongShan Chenxinghai Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine (ZS CXH Hospital) and the University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital (HKU-SZH), which are both Tier III Class A hospitals, according to a Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government statement.

ZS CXH Hospital was among the first batch of designated healthcare institutions allowed to use Hong Kong-registered drugs and medical devices used in Hong Kong public hospitals since 2021. It was also included in the Elderly Health Care Voucher (EHCV) Greater Bay Area Pilot Scheme in February.

During the visit at the HKU-SZH, Health Bureau (HHB) personnel introduced the two new functions of the eHealth mobile application--"Cross-boundary Health Record" and "Personal Folder"--which will be launched at the HKU-SZH on a trial basis on July 15

Representatives of the hospital introduced to the delegation the healthcare and supporting services available for Hong Kong and Macao residents to deepen their understanding of the facilities, operation and service standards of a Tier III Class A hospital in the Chinese mainland.

"With the more frequent travelling to and fro the mainland, demand of Hong Kong citizens for healthcare services in the mainland has been on the rise, while attaching greater importance to Chinese medicine for disease prevention and treatment,” Lo was quoted as saying in the statement.

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"The Chief Executive adopted cross-boundary medical collaboration as one of the subtitles for the first time in his 2023 Policy Address, demonstrating how deep the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government values medical collaboration with the mainland,” he added.

The delegation included members of the Legislative Council and representatives of the Health Bureau, the Department of Health and the Hospital Authority.

During the visit at the HKU-SZH, Health Bureau (HHB) personnel introduced the two new functions of the eHealth mobile application--"Cross-boundary Health Record" and "Personal Folder"--which will be launched at the HKU-SZH on a trial basis on July 15.

The "Cross-boundary Health Record" function is only applicable to hospitals outside Hong Kong that are specified and certified by the HHB to ensure the safety of citizens' medical data.

The HHB will launch the pilot at the HKU-SZH and the healthcare professionals there will be able to browse the copies of electronic health records deposited in the eHealth accounts of eligible EHCV users over the past three years, upon presentation of relevant QR codes by the elderly persons.

Meanwhile, the "Personal Folder" function enables eHealth users to deposit medical records obtained during consultations in medical institutions outside Hong Kong into their eHealth personal accounts.

Lo said the HKSAR government will continue to press ahead with relevant measures, including the launch of the Pilot Scheme to offer eligible Hong Kong elderly persons additional options of services points for using the EHCVs in the GBA, the roll-out of the Pilot Scheme for Direct Cross-Boundary Ambulance Transfer in the GBA, the continuous implementation of the Pilot Scheme for Supporting Patients of Hospital Authority in GBA, and exploration of strategic purchasing of healthcare services from suitable GBA healthcare institutions for Hong Kong residents.

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Lo emphasized that the HKSAR government remains committed to fulfilling the important role of safeguarding the well-being of Hong Kong residents by continuing to provide them with quality healthcare services and will never shift this responsibility to the mainland healthcare system.