CE: Promoting multifaceted co-operation between Hong Kong and Macao to leverage collaborative strength of two Special Administrative Regions
The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, led representatives of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government to visit Macao today (August 5), where he met with the Chief Executive of the Macao Special Administrative Region, Mr Sam Hou-fai, and visited local infrastructure facilities.Representatives of the HKSAR Government included the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan; the Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Mr Erick Tsang Kwok-wai; the Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau; the Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Ms Mable Chan; and the Director of the Chief Executive's Office, Ms Carol Yip.
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CE: Promoting multifaceted co-operation between Hong Kong and Macao to leverage collaborative strength of two Special Administrative Regions Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
CE: Promoting multifaceted co-operation between Hong Kong and Macao to leverage collaborative strength of two Special Administrative Regions Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
CE: Promoting multifaceted co-operation between Hong Kong and Macao to leverage collaborative strength of two Special Administrative Regions Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
CE: Promoting multifaceted co-operation between Hong Kong and Macao to leverage collaborative strength of two Special Administrative Regions Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Mr Lee met with Mr Sam for an in-depth discussion on promoting Hong Kong's co-operation with Macao on various fronts and the high-quality development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA). Mr Lee said he is pleased to meet Mr Sam again following Mr Sam's earlier visit to Hong Kong. He said that establishing the Guangdong-Macao In-depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin demonstrates the key strategic planning to enrich the practice of "one country, two systems", benefitting Macao's long-term prosperity and stability and integration into the overall national development. Noting that Hong Kong and Macao are the country's special administrative regions that enjoy distinctive advantages under the "one country, two systems" principle, Mr Lee said that the two cities enjoy close geographical ties, with frequent people-to-people and cultural exchanges, alongside solid economic and trade relations, while Hong Kong and Macao have been working closely in such areas as economy, cross-boundary infrastructure, tourism and culture.
Mr Lee pointed out that Hong Kong and Macao are both integral parts of the GBA and will continue to promote the development of the GBA together. By firmly upholding the principle of "one country" and leveraging the benefits of "two systems", Hong Kong and Macao will achieve complementarity and jointly seize development opportunities, and continue to strengthen co-operation between the two cities, contributing to the promotion of the high-quality development of the GBA.
Mr Lee and the officials also visited the Guangdong-Macao In-depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin. They first toured the Traditional Chinese Medicine Cultural Experience Center of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Science and Technology Industrial Park of Cooperation between Guangdong and Macao to learn about the integration of traditional Chinese medicine and the cultural tourism industry. They then visited the Guangdong-Macao In-depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin Planning Exhibition Hall, which features over 600 exhibits on new products and technologies. Mr Lee discussed and exchanged views with attending officials on the management, construction, development models and achievements of the Cooperation Zone.
Mr Lee and the officials returned to Hong Kong in the afternoon.
CE: Promoting multifaceted co-operation between Hong Kong and Macao to leverage collaborative strength of two Special Administrative Regions Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
CE: Promoting multifaceted co-operation between Hong Kong and Macao to leverage collaborative strength of two Special Administrative Regions Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
CE: Promoting multifaceted co-operation between Hong Kong and Macao to leverage collaborative strength of two Special Administrative Regions Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
CE: Promoting multifaceted co-operation between Hong Kong and Macao to leverage collaborative strength of two Special Administrative Regions Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Public healthcare fees and charges reform has officially taken effect, unveiling new chapter in Hospital Authority's sustainable development
The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:
The Hospital Authority (HA) announced today (January 1) that the public healthcare fees and charges reform is now officially in effect, marking a new chapter in HA's sustainable development. Since January 1 midnight, all HA systems have successfully switched to the new fees and charges mode, with operations at public hospitals running smoothly. The HA will continue to closely monitor hospital operations and deploy additional manpower to provide immediate assistance to those in need, ensuring smooth service delivery.
The reform took effect at midnight, with all public hospital systems, including patient registration, payment, and clinical systems, successfully switching to the new fees and charges mode. The HA Chairman, Mr Henry Fan, and the HA Chief Executive, Dr Libby Lee, visited Kwong Wah Hospital at midnight to observe the implementation of the new charging mode and the transition process. They also communicated with all clusters through video conferencing to ensure implementation and support measures were in place.
The HA Chairman, Mr Henry Fan, said, "The successful implementation of the reform marks a significant milestone in our public healthcare system. The reform will enhance protection for poor, acute, serious and critical patients, enabling sustainable development of public healthcare services to meet the challenges posed by Hong Kong's aging population. We especially thank all staff for their co-operation in implementing the reform and patients for their understanding of the new arrangements. The HA will continue to implement various measures to enhance patient protection and improve public healthcare services."
Accident and Emergency departments (A&E), which operate 24 hours a day, are among the first clinical departments to implement the new fees and charges arrangements. The HA has adopted flexible arrangements, allowing a small number of patients who completed registration just after midnight to pay the old fees. The HA Chief Executive, Dr Libby Lee, said, "After the New Year holiday, many clinical departments in public hospitals will resume normal services. We have deployed additional manpower, including service ambassadors, dedicated teams, and volunteers to station at outpatient clinics, shroffs and pharmacies for answering patient inquiries, assisting with payments, appointments, and applications for medical fee waivers. Hospitals and specialist outpatient clinics have also set up information counters where dedicated staff provide on-site responses to public inquiries."
The HA will closely monitor operations at all hospitals. Meanwhile, patients are reminded that with the official implementation of the new fees and charges arrangements (Annex), some medical service procedures may be modified. Each hospital cluster has set up hotlines (see table below) for patients to inquire about the reform arrangements. Patients can also visit the HA website for related information.
The HA emphasises that with the comprehensive implementation of the reform measures, an enhanced medical fee waiver mechanism has also been introduced. Over 50 000 patients have already submitted advance applications or filed enquiries, with the majority of applications processed. Eligible patients will gradually receive their medical fee waiver certificates, enabling them to have fee waivers granted at their next follow-up consultation. The HA has established dedicated teams to assist patients with fee waiver applications and will increase manpower to shorten processing times.
During the transition period from January to March, patients requiring immediate or urgent treatment, who cannot afford medical expense at the public sector, but cannot provide complete documentation for financial assessment, will be granted "conditional waivers" for full or partial medical fees. Patients need only submit relevant documents within three months to receive official medical fee waiver certificates upon passing the assessment.
Patients currently holding medical fee waiver certificates (full or partial), can continue using them until expiry without reapplication. Patients with partial fee waiver certificates who qualify for full waivers under the enhanced mechanism can obtain full waivers by declaring no significant change in financial status at Medical Social Services Units three months before appointments or within three months after hospitalisation, without requiring reassessment. The validity will be the same as the original certificate's expiry date.
In addition to enhancing the medical fee waiver mechanism, the HA has established a second safety net by introducing an annual cap of $10,000 on medical service charges (excluding self-financed items). This expanded safety net aims to help citizens reduce the heavy financial burden of medical expenses arising from unexpected serious illnesses or chronic conditions. Furthermore, the HA will strengthen the healthcare protection of critically-ill patients. This includes accelerating the introduction of more effective innovative drugs and devices, and relaxing the eligibility criteria of means test for the safety net applications, so that more middle-income patients can receive subsidy for self-financed drugs and devices. Patients currently receiving partial subsidy will also be able to access increased support. During the implementation of fees and charges reform measures, the HA will adhere to the principle that the Government's commitment to public health will remain unchanged. All gains from the reform will be wholly utilised for public healthcare services.
The HA emphasises that it has increased manpower to assist patients in need with fee waiver applications and other enhanced protection measures, ensuring that no citizen will be denied appropriate medical care due to financial difficulties. With all enhanced patient protection measures in place, the number of beneficiaries will increase significantly from the current 300 000 to approximately 1.4 million. Together with about 600 000 Comprehensive Social Security Assistance recipients, Old Age Living Allowance recipients aged 75 or above, and holders of Residential Care Service Voucher Scheme Level 0 vouchers who will continue to receive full fee waivers, it is estimated that around 2 million people will benefit in total, substantially strengthening patient protection.
Hotlines for Public Healthcare Fees and Charges Reform
Clusters |
Hotlines |
Hong Kong East Cluster |
6460 4303 |
Hong Kong West Cluster |
2255 4177 |
Kowloon Central Cluster |
3506 7198 |
Kowloon East Cluster |
5215 7326 |
Kowloon West Cluster |
3467 7575 |
New Territories East Cluster |
6273 3551 |
New Territories West Cluster |
2468 5353 |
Service hours: January 2-11, 2026, 8am to 8pm
Source: AI-found images
