Hong Kong's Health Secretary Advocates for Innovative, Equitable Healthcare at Asia Summit on Global Health.

Speech by Secretary for Health at Plenary Session: Shaping a More Equitable and Sustainable Health System of Asia Summit on Global Health

Following is the speech by the Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, at the Plenary Session: Shaping a More Equitable and Sustainable Health System of the Asia Summit on Global Health today (May 26):

Distinguished guests, healthcare leaders, ladies and gentlemen,

Hong Kong takes pride in the quality and efficiency of its health system. We rank the top globally in many health indexes and we have the best longevity in the world with a life expectancy of over 83 for man and over 88 for woman. Our public healthcare system serves as a safety net for all, providing universal health coverage with an overall subsidy rate of over 97 per cent, to ensure that no one is denied adequate medical treatment due to lack of means. Yet with an aging population, advancement in technology as well as medical inflation, we must deepen reform and embrace innovation to reinforce the quality, efficiency as well as sustainability of our healthcare system.

Hong Kong's unique position as Asia's world city with the institutional advantage of "one country, two systems" gives us unparalleled advantages in healthcare innovation. Our strategic position is reinforced by national policies including the 14th Five-Year Plan, which designates Hong Kong as an international innovation and technology hub, and the Resolution on Further Deepening Reform Comprehensively to Advance Chinese Modernization adopted by the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Communist Party of China Central Committee, emphasising healthcare reform and medical innovation.

As the Chinese Proverb says: "When the winds of change blow, some build walls while others build windmills". While geopolitical tensions strain international co-operation, Hong Kong is building bridges between the East and the West, between tradition and innovation, between laboratory and bed-side and between the rich and the poor. In the next few minutes, I will use four examples in our healthcare policies to show you how.

1. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)

Hong Kong is a place where East meets West. We have a dual tract healthcare system not only between the private and the public, but also between TCM and western medicine. These two not just meet and coexist in our community, but also collaborate and complement each other. With only 16 500 registered western doctors in Hong Kong or only 2.2 per thousand population, our healthcare system is complemented by nearly 11 000 registered TCM doctors, the majority serving our primary health in the community.

TCM is an integral part of our health system. We have government subsidised TCM clinic in all 18 districts in Hong Kong and our Elderly Health Care Voucher subsidises TCM service as well. In public hospitals, we provide integrated Chinese-Western medicine service focusing on cancer care, respiratory diseases, stroke rehabilitation, chronic musculoskeletal pain and osteoarthritis.

New initiatives with policy support include the upcoming Comprehensive TCM development blueprint to be released by the end of this year to lay out the strategy and action plan to further develop TCM. Most important of all, there will be two flagship projects to be commissioned end of this year: First, Hong Kong's first Chinese Medicine Hospital with 400 beds that will provide a Hong Kong model of pure TCM as well as integrated TCM-western medicine in-patient care. It will carry the mission to promote collaboration and integration not just between Chinese and Western medicine but across borders in the Greater Bay Area (GBA) and beyond. Second, our new Government TCM testing institute is committed to the testing for herbal medicine with a view to set internationally recognised reference standards and support the development of International Herbal Pharmacopoeia. Hong Kong is determined to serve as the bridgehead for TCM development and internationalisation.

2. Health and Medical Innovation

In the 2023 Policy Address, the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region outlined plans to develop Hong Kong into an international health and medical innovation hub.

To complement technological innovation with regulation innovation, we will establish the Hong Kong Centre for Medical Products Regulation to integrate regulation of drugs and medical devices, enhance innovation support, and implement smart regulatory approaches with a view to implementing "primary evaluation" for medical product registration.

Meanwhile, we have implemented the "1+" mechanism to expedite approvals for new drugs that are supported with local clinical data and approval from one reference drug regulatory authority. Under the national GBA policy 港澳藥械通 (Measure of using HK registered drugs and medical devices used in HK public hospitals in Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao GBA) Special Measure which allows, up to now 45 designated healthcare institutions in GBA to import and use Hong Kong-registered drugs and medical devices, which are not yet registered in the Mainland, our new drug approval mechanism provides a unique green channel for innovative drugs and devices to enter the Greater Bay Area market.

Another major milestone was the inauguration of the Greater Bay Area International Clinical Trial Institute at the Hong Kong Park of the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Co-operation Zone in November last year. Launched in parallel with the GBA International Clinical Trials Center in the Shenzhen Park, this "one zone, two parks" model marks a new chapter in cross-boundary collaboration. Together with the Real-World Study and Application Centre, these one institute and one center will jointly establish a GBA Clinical Trial Collaboration Platform to leverage the GBA's population of over 86 million people to integrate clinical resources, data, and policy advantages, creating an efficient and internationally recognised clinical trial ecosystem.

These initiatives position Hong Kong as a gateway between China and the world in health innovation. By fostering a vibrant ecosystem for advance medical product development, we aim to ensure that safe, effective, and more importantly, affordable treatments are accessible to more people, locally and globally, driving quality and equity in healthcare.

3. Hospital Authority fees and charges reform

We initiate the fees and charges reform for public healthcare services with the objective to maintain a 90 per cent overall subsidisation rate in five years. While the Government's commitment to the public healthcare system will not be lessened, reforming the subsidisation structure of public healthcare for more targeted subsidy aims to guide the public to make optimal use of healthcare resources, reduce wastage and abuse, and enhance healthcare protection for the "poor, acute, serious, critical" patients in all fronts, first of all, by enhancing the fee waiver mechanism, second, introducing an annual cap on fees and charges, and third increasing subsidies on self-financed expensive drugs and medical devices for the critically ill, thereby preventing "patients with serious conditions falling into poverty". The reform will enhance the sustainability of our healthcare system and strengthen the safety net for all for even better universal health coverage.

4. Healthcare talents and the New Medical School

A sustainable health system requires talents and enough healthcare manpower. While the Government has been addressing the issue of manpower shortage through a multipronged strategy, by increasing the number of intakes for local universities and admitting qualified non-locally trained healthcare workers, the 2024 Policy Address announced that the Government supports the plan to establish a third medical school. Indeed, Hong Kong has already hosted two top 30 world class medical schools but we have the ability and the need to develop the third one which shall adopt an innovative strategic positioning in pursuit of complementary development with the two existing ones.

Yet amidst ambitions for innovation, research excellence as well as international ranking, we must remember that at the heart of medicine is not only technology but patients. Our fundamental goal is to train doctors who are not only safe and competent, but doctors who, in every decision and every moment, are fit to practice and place patients first.

The strategic location of the proposed school in the Northern Metropolis will further enhance our healthcare collaborative capacity within the Greater Bay Area. The third medical school is not only a cornerstone in our journey towards shaping a more equitable and sustainable health system in Hong Kong. It will also be a new powerhouse to bolster Hong Kong's position as an international hub for health and medical innovation as well as university education.

Closing

Ladies and gentlemen, as the world gets more fragmented from unilateralisation, Hong Kong's unique advantages makes us an important player in upholding multilateralisation to safeguard global health. Our role as a neutral hub for global health diplomacy has never been more crucial. We are not just participating in the future of global health. We are helping to shape it. We invite partners worldwide to join this future mission to build equitable and sustainable health system for all.

Thank you very much.

Speech by Secretary for Health at Plenary Session: Shaping a More Equitable and Sustainable Health System of Asia Summit on Global Health Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Speech by Secretary for Health at Plenary Session: Shaping a More Equitable and Sustainable Health System of Asia Summit on Global Health Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Speech by Secretary for Health at Plenary Session: Shaping a More Equitable and Sustainable Health System of Asia Summit on Global Health Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Speech by Secretary for Health at Plenary Session: Shaping a More Equitable and Sustainable Health System of Asia Summit on Global Health Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Speech by Secretary for Health at Plenary Session: Shaping a More Equitable and Sustainable Health System of Asia Summit on Global Health Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Speech by Secretary for Health at Plenary Session: Shaping a More Equitable and Sustainable Health System of Asia Summit on Global Health Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Update on chikungunya fever

The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health announced that, as of 5pm today (January 11), no new cases of chikungunya fever (CF) had been recorded.

Latest surveillance data

------------------------------

Hong Kong has recorded a total of 82 confirmed CF cases last year. Among them, 11 were local cases, and the rest were imported cases.

Since the beginning of 2025, and as of December 10, 2025, a total of 502 264 CF cases and 186 CF-related deaths have been reported in over 40 countries/territories. Cases have been reported in the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Europe. Although the northern hemisphere has entered the winter season, temperatures in subtropical and some temperate regions remain elevated due to climate change, creating favourable conditions for mosquito breeding. In addition, CF outbreaks continue to occur in many countries worldwide. The risk of imported cases persists. Members of the public should check the situation of the destinations before travelling abroad, especially when travelling to Southeast Asian countries.

Government's comprehensive follow-up actions

-----------------------------------------------------

Given that some local cases of CF have visited the Tsing Yi Nature Trails or the surrounding area in November last year, the trails are currently closed until further notice. Relevant government departments continue to conduct large-scale mosquito control and prevention efforts along the trails, and the CHP appeals to the public not to enter the area in order to reduce the risk of contracting CF and to avoid exposure to chemicals or interfering with the mosquito control operations. Since the confirmation on December 10, 2025, of a case involving a person who had visited the Tsing Yi Nature Trails on November 30, 2025, no further local cases have been recorded to date. The CHP continues to urge individuals who have recently hiked along the Tsing Yi Nature Trails to seek medical attention as soon as possible if they develop relevant symptoms and to call the enquiry hotline (Tel: 2125 2373), which operates from 9am to 6pm.

The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) has been continuously conducting intensive fogging operations to eliminate adult mosquitoes along the Tsing Yi Nature Trails and the surrounding area. At suitable locations, large ultra-low volume foggers have been deployed, and a robot dog is being put on trial to enhance operational effectiveness. The FEHD has also set up new mosquito trapping devices, cleared discarded containers and garbage that could cause stagnant water, and applied larvicide oil or larvicides in areas with stagnant water that cannot be removed immediately. The FEHD has been collaborating with the Kwai Tsing District Office, the Lands Department and the Drainage Services Department to strengthen efforts in eliminating potential mosquito breeding sites along the Tsing Yi Nature Trails. Pamphlets have been distributed to hikers in the area, urging citizens to be vigilant against mosquito infestations and take personal protective measures. The FEHD has also held meetings of the interdepartmental task forces on anti-mosquito work across districts to discuss the latest developments regarding the situation and plan accordingly to co-ordinate relevant departments and stakeholders in strengthening mosquito prevention and control measures in areas under their purview.

Continuously strengthening prevention and control

---------------------------------------------------------

The FEHD and relevant departments have comprehensively enhanced the mosquito control operations in Hong Kong since July last year, and this has continued. Among these, the FEHD has conducted vector investigations and targeted mosquito control operations against the imported and local cases. In light of the local case, the FEHD has immediately conducted follow-up actions, including:

carrying out intensive fogging in scrubby areas within a 250-metre radius of the relevant locations to kill adult mosquitoes;

carrying out inspections of the locations, removing stagnant water, applying insecticides and disposing of abandoned water containers every week with a view to preventing mosquito breeding; and

enhancing public education efforts through organising health talks, setting up mobile education stations, and distributing publicity leaflets.

The abovementioned measures will be continued. Furthermore, the Government will further enhance the mosquito control efforts in addition to the existing measures.

Preventive measures to be taken by the public

----------------------------------------------------

Members of the public should use DEET-containing insect repellents or other effective active ingredients properly to prevent mosquito bites, but the following precautions should be taken when using them:

read the label instructions carefully first;

apply right before entering an area with a risk of mosquito bites;

apply on exposed skin and clothing;

use DEET of up to 30 per cent for pregnant women and up to 10 per cent for children (for children who travel to countries or areas where mosquito-borne diseases are endemic or epidemic and where exposure is likely, those aged 2 months or above can use DEET-containing insect repellents with a DEET concentration of up to 30 per cent);

apply sunscreen first, then insect repellent;

reapply only when needed and follow the instructions; and

in addition to DEET, there are other insect repellents available on the market containing different active ingredients, such as IR3535 and picaridin. When using any insect repellent, the public should follow the usage instructions and precautions on the product label.

The FEHD also appeals to members of the public to continue to stay alert and work together to carry out mosquito prevention and control measures early, including inspecting their homes and surroundings to remove potential breeding grounds, changing water in vases and scrubbing their inner surfaces, removing water in saucers under potted plants at least once a week, and properly disposing of containers such as empty cans and lunch boxes. The FEHD also advises members of the public and property management agencies to keep drains free of blockage and level all defective ground surfaces to prevent the accumulation of water. They should also scrub all drains and surface sewers with an alkaline detergent at least once a week to remove any mosquito eggs.

The public should call 1823 in case of mosquito problems, and may visit the following pages for more information: the CF page of theCHPand theTravel Health Service, the latestTravel Health News,tips for using insect repellents, and the CHPFacebook Page,Instagram AccountandYouTube Channel, and also theMosquito Prevention and Control dedicated pageof the FEHD.

Source: AI-found images