Hong Kong Integrates Women's Health Services into District Health Network for Enhanced Care and Accessibility

DH's Women Health Centres to be integrated into Primary Healthcare Commission and Central and Western District Health Centre to be established

The Health Bureau (HHB) announced today (January 23) that woman health services under the Department of Health (DH) will be integrated into the district health network, to be named as Women Wellness Satellites (WWS), of the Primary Healthcare Commission (PHC Commision) of the HHB, forming a network with District Health Centres (DHC)/DHC Expresses (DHCEs) in all 18 districts across Hong Kong to provide eligible women with prevention-based and more personalised primary healthcare services. Upon open tendering, the HHB awarded a three-year operation service contract for the three WWSs and the Central and Western (C&W) DHC to the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals (the operator). The three WWSs and C&W DHC are expected to commence operation within this year.

In the 2024 Policy Address, the Chief Executive put forward the initiatives of integrating Woman Health Centres'services and upgrading more interim DHCEs to DHCs, along with the extension of a multidisciplinary service network. The Primary Healthcare Blueprint also recommended gradually integrating the primary healthcare services under the DH into the district-based community healthcare system. The establishment of WWSs and the upgrading of C&W DHC Express to DHC aim to implement the relevant policy directions for strengthening the prevention-oriented, district-based, and family-centric primary healthcare network.

Strengthening women's health services, promotion and education work in DHCs

Integration of the DH's existing women's health services into the district health network will be conducive to shortening the waiting time for services, reducing duplication of healthcare services and promoting primary healthcare development. The PHC Commision will commence the integrated women's health services within this year in an orderly manner. DHCs/DHCEs across all 18 districts will enhance promotion and education related to women's health, as well as provide new dedicated nurse clinics for women's health services to encourage citizens to manage their own health. DHCs/DHCEs will also identify women in need through basic health assessments and individual consultations, and refer them to WWSs or the General Out-patient Clinics (GOPCs) of the Hospital Authority (HA) to receive women's health services as appropriate.

Personalised and value-added women's health services

The formation of the service network will enhance accessibility to women's health services. The HA will start to provide preventive care services to the underprivileged, whereas WWSs will focus on addressing specific health needs of women by providing more personalised and value-added primary healthcare services. In addition to the existing services such as health assessments, breast cancer and cervical cancer screenings, WWSs will devise personalised preventive care or specific consultation services according to individual health risks and needs for members' selection. WWSs will also explore introducing self-sampling for Human Papillomavirus (HPV) testing to enhance prevention-oriented women's health services. Furthermore, to promote the "Family Doctor for All" concept, WWSs will explore collaboration with family doctors participating in the Chronic Disease Co-Care Pilot Scheme to support and strengthen comprehensive health management and screening services for women. Details will be announced later.

The three WWSs will be located in Chai Wan, Lam Tin, and Tuen Mun (see Annex). The Chai Wan WWS is expected to start service in June at the earliest, while the Lam Tin and Tuen Mun WWSs are expected to commence operation in September at the earliest. Starting from tomorrow (January 24), DHCs/DHCEs across all 18 districts will accept registration from women aged 64 or below and provide basic women's health services, conduct initial assessments and arrange referrals to WWSs for scheduling of services as necessary. Women who would like to receive services at WWSs must first register as members at DHCs/DCHEs.

During the transition period of service integration, the three Woman Health Centres (namely the Chai Wan Woman Health Centre, Lam Tin Woman Health Centre, and Tuen Mun Woman Health Centre) and four designated Maternal and Child Health Centres (namely the Ap Lei Chau Maternal and Child Health Centre, Yaumatei Maternal and Child Health Centre, Fanling Maternal and Child Health Centre, and Ma On Shan Maternal and Child Health Centre) under the DH will cease accepting new appointments for women's health services starting from tomorrow (January 24). Those who have already made appointments or have paid their annual fee and are still within the service period will continue to receive relevant services from the DH. Details on the relevant transition arrangements are available on the website of the Family Health Services of the DH (www.fhs.gov.hk/english/main_ser/woman_health.html).

To encourage citizens to take primary responsibility for managing their own health, WWS services will adopt a co-payment model, where eligible individuals will receive partial subsidy from the Government and also be required to pay a designated co-payment fee. The co-payment fee for standard services will be similar to the current charges of the Woman Health Centres of the DH, with details to be announced later. Members of the public may also visit the DHC website (www.dhc.gov.hk/en/) for the latest information.

Catering for underprivileged women

Meanwhile, GOPCs of the HA will provide new preventive women's health services with a view to focusing on caring for the underprivileged. Starting from tomorrow (January 24), eligible persons (including Comprehensive Social Security Assistance recipients or individuals granted medical fee waivers) will be arranged through DHCs/DHCEs to receive women preventive care and health promotion services, which are the same as those in the district health network, at selected GOPCs of the HA.

Expansion of C&W DHC Express to DHC

Apart from women's health services, the operator is required to set up a DHC core centre and a satellite centre in the C&W district within the first year of operation. The core centre of the C&W DHC will be located at 308 Des Voeux Road Central with a total floor area of about 1000 square metres, and is expected to commence service in the third quarter. The PHC Commision will discuss with the operator and implement a transitional arrangement for upgrading the C&W DHC Express to a DHC to ensure a smooth transition of services.

Hong Kong tops cross-boundary wealth management centre in the world

According to the Global Wealth Report 2026 published by the Boston Consulting Group today (May 27), Hong Kong is now the world's largest cross-boundary wealth management centre. The Report further projects that, from 2025 to 2030, the cross-boundary wealth managed by Hong Kong will grow by 9 per cent on average annually and maintain first place globally, fully affirming Hong Kong's position as a world-leading cross-boundary wealth management centre.

The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, said, "The National 15th Five-Year Plan clearly supports Hong Kong in strengthening its functions as an international asset and wealth management centre, which is also a key component of Hong Kong's 'Finance +' development strategy. Over the past few years, the HKSAR Government has worked closely with the financial sector to continuously improve the financial infrastructure and ecosystem, expand the range of investment products and risk management tools, and deepen the connectivity with capital markets around the world. Currently, global investors are actively seeking diversified asset allocation. Leveraging the advantages of 'one country, two systems', complemented by free, open, transparent, and predictable economic policies as well as a stable and secure investment environment, and cross-market connectivity, Hong Kong is attracting more and more ultra-high-net-worth individuals and family offices (FOs) to establish a presence and invest in the city."

He said, "Benefiting from the wealth generated by technological innovation and the rapid development of industries related to artificial intelligence, demand for asset and wealth management in the Mainland and the Asian region is set to grow at an accelerated pace. This is expected to open up greater room for development for Hong Kong's asset and wealth management sector. The HKSAR Government will continue to grasp and propel this wave of development to consolidate and enhance Hong Kong's status and function as an international financial centre."

The Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr Christopher Hui, said, "The current term Government strives to reinforce Hong Kong's competitive advantages as a leading asset and wealth management centre. We issued the Policy Statement on Developing Family Office Businesses in Hong Kong in March 2023 and has since implemented various measures, such as providing profits tax concession to family-owned investment holding vehicles managed by eligible single FOs, introducing the New Capital Investment Entrant Scheme (New CIES). The Government will introduce legislative proposals into the Legislative Council next month to further enhance the preferential tax regimes for funds, single FOs and carried interest, so as to further enhance the competitiveness of the tax regimes, and attract more funds and FOs to set up and operate in Hong Kong."

He further said, "While global economic gravity shifts eastward, geopolitical tensions further highlight Hong Kong's role as a safe harbour, reflecting Hong Kong's appeal as an international financial centre. Amid the global environment of heightened geopolitical risks, we will work concertedly with the industry to continue driving the growth momentum of Hong Kong's asset and wealth management industry."

Asset and wealth management is a priority growth area for the financial services industry of Hong Kong. The current term Government has yielded fruitful results through implementation of various measures to develop a vibrant ecosystem for FOs and asset owners. The Government achieved early in September 2025 the target set in the Chief Executive's 2022 Policy Address of facilitating at least 200 FOs to set up operations or expand their business in Hong Kong by the end of 2025, and will strive to further facilitate at least 220 FOs to set up operations or expand in Hong Kong from 2026 to 2028. According to the findings of the study by the consultant commissioned by Invest Hong Kong published in February 2026, there were over 3 380 single FOs operating in Hong Kong as of end-2025. This represents an increase of about 680 offices, or more than 25 per cent, over the past two years. In addition, the New CIES has been steadily attracting global high-net-worth individuals and capital inflows to Hong Kong since its launch in March 2024. As of end-April 2026, Invest Hong Kong has received nearly 3 600 applications, representing an anticipated investment value of about HK$108 billion for the city, demonstrating Hong Kong's competitive edge in the global investment landscape and demonstrates the market's confidence in Hong Kong.

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