Primary Healthcare Commission to launch Hepatitis B Co-care Scheme to provide hepatitis B screening and treatment services for higher-risk group
The Primary Healthcare Commission (PHC Commission) under the Health Bureau announced today (January 26) that the Hepatitis B Co-care Scheme will be launched on February 7 to identify people with chronic hepatitis B in the community at an early stage and provide long-term follow-up services, with a view to reducing their risk of having cirrhosis, liver cancer and other serious complications. Starting from that day, eligible persons may enrol in the Scheme at District Health Centres/District Health Centre Expresses (collectively referred to as DHCs) to receive a hepatitis B risk assessment, screening and long-term management.
The Hepatitis B Co-care Scheme is one of the key primary healthcare initiatives put forward by the Chief Executive in his 2025 Policy Address. Making reference to the service model of the Chronic Disease Co-Care Pilot Scheme (CDCC Pilot Scheme), the Hepatitis B Co-care Scheme subsidises eligible persons to receive chronic hepatitis B screenings and treatment, as well as liver cancer screenings, in the private healthcare sector through strategic purchasing and a co-payment model.
The Hepatitis B Co-care Scheme targets a higher-risk group. Hong Kong residents born in or before 1988 (the introduction year of the universal childhood hepatitis B immunisation programme) with no known medical history of chronic hepatitis B nor related symptoms, while having family members (including parents, siblings and offspring) or sexual partners who contracted chronic hepatitis B being eligible to participate. They have to first register as DHC members and agree to join eHealth.
DHC staff will arrange eligible participants to undergo a free hepatitis B surface antigen rapid diagnostic test (RDT) at DHCs, and pair them with a family doctor of their own choice. Participants with positive RDT results will be subsidised by the Government to receive further blood tests at the clinic of their chosen and paired family doctor under a co-payment model to confirm whether they are infected with the hepatitis B virus. Under the general service workflow, if the result of the participant's first blood test is positive, the family doctor will arrange a second blood test for the participant six months later to confirm the diagnosis. During the process, family doctors will promptly assess and diagnose whether a participant has chronic hepatitis B based on the participant's laboratory results and clinical conditions, with a view to providing appropriate treatment and management. During the screening phase, participants are only required to pay a co-payment fee of $180, while the Government will subsidise family doctors for up to two consultations at a total consultation fee of $136. Participants who are not diagnosed with chronic hepatitis B after a screening can continue to receive hepatitis B-related health counselling and education at DHCs to establish healthy lifestyles (see Annex for details of the screening process).
Participants who are diagnosed with chronic hepatitis B will enter the treatment phase, with arrangements the same as those of the CDCC Pilot Scheme. Participants are entitled to a maximum of four subsidised consultations per year for follow-up service, and they have to pay a co-payment fee determined by the family doctor (Note) for each consultation. The Government has recommended a co-payment fee of $150 per consultation. The Government will provide a subsidy of $166 to family doctors for each consultation. The same basic-tier drug list of the CDCC Pilot Scheme, which includes antiviral medicines for hepatitis B treatment, will also be adopted in the treatment phase. Participants prescribed with those drugs will not be required to pay for medication. In addition, family doctors can arrange appropriate laboratory testing services for participants with clinical needs. The list of laboratory tests and related co-payment fees are the same as those under the CDCC Pilot Scheme.
To encourage family doctors to provide whole-person and continuous care to members of the public, family doctors can offer management for chronic diseases such as prediabetes, diabetes mellitus, hypertension or hyperlipidaemia in the same consultation for participants who have also enrolled in the CDCC Pilot Scheme. Participants are only required to pay a co-payment fee for one consultation. The consultation quotas will also be calculated in a consolidated manner. The higher number of subsidised consultation quotas for the CDCC Pilot Scheme or the Hepatitis B Co-care Scheme shall prevail. As the concurrent management of the "three highs" and chronic hepatitis B requires a more detailed and comprehensive assessment and diagnosis, the Government will provide an additional fixed annual subsidy of $300 per participant to the family doctor if the family doctor has provided concurrent management for chronic hepatitis B and any of the "three highs" chronic diseases for the same participant in at least two consultation sessions within a calendar year (January 1 to December 31).
To address the healthcare needs of the underprivileged group, if the eligible persons are recipients of the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance Scheme, recipients of the Old Age Living Allowance aged 75 or above, or holders of valid medical fee waiver certificates, DHCs will arrange for them to receive the same chronic hepatitis B screening and treatment services at 18 designated Family Medicine Clinics of the Hospital Authority. Participants may be granted a full or partial medical fee waiver based on their relevant eligibility when receiving the services.
Members of the public may visit the CDCC Pilot Scheme's thematic website for more details of the Hepatitis B Co-care Scheme.
Note: The co-payment fee for medical consultations set by family doctors under the Hepatitis B Co-care Scheme must be consistent with the co-payment level set under the CDCC Pilot Scheme.
Primary Healthcare Commission to launch Hepatitis B Co-care Scheme to provide hepatitis B screening and treatment services for higher-risk group Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
