Residential Care Services Scheme in Guangdong launches pilot medical subsidy arrangement
The Social Welfare Department (SWD) announced today (December 17) that China Taiping Life Insurance (Hong Kong) Company Limited (Taiping Life (Hong Kong)) has been commissioned to assist the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government in implementing the Residential Care Services Scheme in Guangdong - Pilot Medical Subsidy Arrangement for two years starting from December 22 this year.
Since the commencement date of the pilot arrangement, elderly participants of the Residential Care Services Scheme in Guangdong (the Scheme) can apply for the subsidy concerning their self-paid medical expenses incurred at any designated medical institutions (including clinics, hospitals, and pharmacy stores) within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) under the coverage of the National Basic Medical Insurance Policy. The annual ceiling is RMB10,000 per person for outpatient expenses and RMB30,000 per person for inpatient expenses.
The Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Chris Sun, attended the launching ceremony of the Pilot Medical Subsidy Arrangement. He said that the HKSAR Government introduces the medical subsidy through policy innovation, providing additional healthcare support for the elderly participants of the Scheme. He was delighted that Taiping Life (Hong Kong) had been selected as the service provider through an open bidding process, and said he looked forward to Taiping Life (Hong Kong)'s promotion of cross-boundary elderly care through professional services.
Under the Pilot Medical Subsidy Arrangement, Taiping Life (Hong Kong) will assist the HKSAR Government in processing applications for reimbursement of medical expenses by elderly persons, including vetting and settling claims of relevant medical expenses and conducting investigation of medical services, etc.
In recent years, the HKSAR Government has been proactively expanding and enhancing the Scheme. To date, 24 residential care homes for the elderly have joined the Scheme, covering eight GBA Mainland cities with over 800 Hong Kong elderly residents. Details of the Pilot Medical Subsidy Arrangement are available on SWD's website: www.swd.gov.hk/storage/asset/section/726/en/The%20Pilot%20Medical%20Subsidy%20Arrangement_EN.pdf.
The Social Welfare Department (SWD), Photo source: reference image of the government
Hong Kong-Guangdong Joint Working Group on Environmental Protection and Combating Climate Change meeting held via video conferencing
The Secretary for Environment and Ecology of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), Mr Tse Chin-wan, and the Director-General of the Department of Ecology and Environment of Guangdong Province (GDDEE), Ms Xu Xiaoxia, today (December 17) co-chaired the seventh meeting of the Hong Kong-Guangdong Joint Working Group on Environmental Protection and Combating Climate Change via video conferencing. The meeting reviewed their work progress in 2025 and agreed on the collaboration work plan for 2026.
Governments of both Hong Kong and Guangdong agreed that the two places have continued to maintain close co-operation on various fronts in the past year, including improvement of air quality in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region, protection of the water environment, strengthening forestry and marine resources conservation, and combating climate change, as well as the development of a "Zero Waste Bay Area". The two sides will continue to promote and deepen exchanges, co-operation and scientific research relating to climate change mitigation, adaptation and resilience.
On improving air quality, Hong Kong and Guangdong implemented the PRD Regional Air Quality Management Plan and monitored the progress and effectiveness of various improvement measures. The annual average concentrations of various air pollutants in 2024 have declined between 18 per cent and 86 per cent from their peak levels. Representatives of the Hong Kong side highlighted that promoting green transportation helps improve air quality. The number of electric private cars in Hong Kong has been growing rapidly. Currently, more than seven out of every 10 newly registered private cars are electric, with a growth rate among the top globally. The HKSAR Government will continue to actively promote the use of electric vehicles and expand the charging network in the future. In the coming years, Hong Kong and Guangdong will continue to work together on the demonstration projects of cross-boundary goods vehicles transitioning into new energy vehicles and the construction of the Greater Bay Area Air Quality Health Index.
On marine environment management, Governments of both Hong Kong and Guangdong agreed that the Notification and Alert System on Marine Refuse has been functioning well since its commencement in 2017. To further enhance the effectiveness of the system, the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) has used the latest wind forecast and relevant data, together with a new generation of regional hydrodynamic model, to more accurately predict areas that may potentially be affected by marine refuse. As of mid-November this year, the system has issued 65 notifications in response to heavy rainfall or major marine environmental incidents, which effectively enabled relevant government departments to take timely clean-up actions. Both sides will continue to explore technologies and measures to monitor marine refuse and tackle marine environmental incidents, as well as further extending co-operation in the management of the marine environment with cities in the region.
As regards ecological conservation, Hong Kong and Guangdong will continue to foster in-depth exchanges and enhance collaboration on the establishment, management, conservation, staff training, publicity and education, etc, in relation to forestry, ecological corridors across the boundary and wetland reserve projects, as well as to take forward the sustainable development of marine resources and the conservation of marine environment, including projects for the conservation of rare marine animals, ecological and environmental monitoring, restoration and enhancement of fisheries resources, sustainable development of mariculture, and joint enforcement operations between Hong Kong and Guangdong.
Hong Kong and Guangdong will also take forward the development of a "Zero Waste Bay Area", jointly promoting regional resources circulation in both places, exploring the feasibility of cross-regional co-operation in handling recyclable materials and co-ordinating collaborative initiatives of the two places.
Representatives of the Hong Kong side attended the meeting today were from the Environment and Ecology Bureau, the Development Bureau, the Buildings Department, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, the Civil Engineering and Development Department, the Drainage Services Department, the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department, the Department of Health, the EPD, the Hong Kong Observatory, and the Water Supplies Department. Representatives of the Guangdong side were from the GDDEE, the Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of the CPC Guangdong Provincial Committee, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of Guangdong Province, the Forestry Administration of Guangdong Province, the Guangdong Provincial Development and Reform Commission, the Guangdong Meteorological Service, the Department of Industry and Information Technology of Guangdong Province, and the Shenzhen Municipal Ecological Environment Bureau.
Hong Kong-Guangdong Joint Working Group on Environmental Protection and Combating Climate Change meeting held via video conferencing Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Hong Kong-Guangdong Joint Working Group on Environmental Protection and Combating Climate Change meeting held via video conferencing Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
