Hong Kong Health Bureau Offers Comprehensive Medical Support for Wang Fuk Court Fire Victims

Latest figures of primary healthcare services provided by Health Bureau to residents affected by Tai Po Wang Fuk Court fire

The Health Bureau (HHB) announced earlier the medical support provided for residents affected by the fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po. At present, the District Health Centres/District Health Centre Expresses (collectively referred to as DHCs) across all 18 districts in Hong Kong serve as hubs to co-ordinate various primary healthcare services as needed for the affected residents. The HHB announced today (January 29) the latest figures of these services:

DHC hotlines

Under the co-ordination of the Primary Healthcare Commission (PHC Commission), the DHCs across all 18 districts in Hong Kong have set up hotlines since December 1, 2025, (see Annex 1) to provide personalised case management services for affected residents, offering more convenient and comprehensive medical support. The support includes pairing the affected residents with free consultation services provided by private family doctors and Chinese medicine (CM) practitioners, co-ordinating arrangements for follow-up appointments and medication refills at the Hospital Authority (HA)'s Family Medicine Out-patient (FMOP) Services as necessary, and making referrals to necessary healthcare, nursing and medication services, as well as psychological support. The services co-ordinated by DHCs are not subject to district boundaries. For example, the Centres may assist affected residents in transferring HA FMOP follow-up appointments and medication refill service points, from Tai Po District to another location, thereby sparing residents the need for travelling across districts. As of January 27, the DHCs hotlines across all 18 districts have received 369 enquiries in total.

Free consultations by family doctors and CM practitioners and free denture replacement services

The HHB introduced a free family doctor service scheme, free CM consultation services, and free denture replacement services on December 4, 15, and 23, 2025, respectively to support the primary healthcare needs of the affected residents until February 28 this year. Case managers of the DHCs will arrange for them to receive up to three free consultations by family doctors and CM practitioners respectively based on their individual situations and preferences, covering the provision of medication and related treatments; and at least one free dental consultation and one follow-up appointment (subject to clinical need), covering denture replacement and oral treatment services.

As of January 27, more than 300 private family doctors have participated in the free family doctor service scheme, covering more than 450 service points that include eight private hospitals. So far, 97 referrals have been handled. As for the free CM consultation services, more than 360 CM practitioners have participated, covering more than 620 service points, and 64 referrals have been handled so far. Regarding free denture replacement services, more than 110 private dentists have participated, covering over 150 service points, and 31 referrals have been handled so far.

HA's healthcare services

All individuals injured in the fire and admitted to public hospitals under the HA will receive full fee waivers for all necessary healthcare services (including drugs and medical devices) throughout the entire process of their treatment and rehabilitation. A total of 79 patients received treatment at various public hospitals due to the fire. As of January 27, 75 of them had already recovered and were discharged, and the remaining four are in stable condition. Healthcare staff will continue to provide appropriate treatment and care to these patients.

Moreover, all residents of the eight blocks at Wang Fuk Court (including foreign domestic helpers) are eligible for full medical fee waivers until December 31 this year. The waivers cover in-patient services, family medicine and specialist out-patient clinics (SOPCs) services (including psychiatry SOPCs), accident and emergency services, day hospitals, day procedures, community services, and Chinese Medicine Clinics cum Training and Research Centres under the HA. As of January 27, the HA has provided necessary healthcare services to around 1 900 affected residents.

Mental health support

The 18111 - Mental Health Support Hotline immediately deployed additional staff and strengthened training for its call handlers on the day of the fire incident to cope with the emotional distress that the public may experience due to the incident. From the time of the incident to January 27, the hotline has received over 19 500 calls, about 760 of which were related to the fire incident. The WhatsApp service has handled over 900 messages, with about 50 of them concerning the fire incident. The HA's 24-hour Mental Health Direct hotline, manned by psychiatric nurses, offers professional advice and support on mental health issues to callers, including provision of risk assessments and referrals to the HA's mental health services as appropriate. As of January 27, the Mental Health Direct hotline has received 107 calls related to the fire incident, with 45 of them coming from affected citizens.

The HHB will continue to provide comprehensive primary healthcare support to affected residents. The HHB also designed the relevant service workflow from the residents' perspective, allowing them to receive convenient and effective medical support simply through the DHCs (see Annex 2).

Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, Photo by Bastille Post

Singapore ETO promotes Hong Kong cinema at Hong Kong Film Gala Presentation 2026

The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Singapore (Singapore ETO) is supporting the Hong Kong Film Gala Presentation 2026, which returns to Singapore for the fifth consecutive year. The event showcases Hong Kong's vibrant culture and creativity through cinema and provides a platform for Hong Kong filmmakers and emerging talent to connect with overseas audiences and industry counterparts.

The Hong Kong Film Gala Presentation 2026 is being held at Shaw Theatres Lido from today (September 11) to September 13. The three-day programme features eight Hong Kong films, showcasing the diversity, creativity and vitality of Hong Kong cinema. It is organised by the Asian Film Awards Academy and co-organised by the Singapore Film Society, with support from the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency under the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, the Film Development Fund (FDF) and the Singapore ETO.

The Gala Presentation opened today with "Dog Day Evening", directed and written by Mak Tin-shu. The comedy, rich in dark humour, received funding support from the FDF. It follows the lead character who storms into the customer service department of a television office building to terminate his pay television subscription by taking hostages to force the staff to process his service termination application. The film was nominated for the Asian New Talent section of the Golden Goblet Awards at the 28th Shanghai International Film Festival. Director Mak and actress Rachel Leung attended the opening in Singapore and shared their experiences in filmmaking and acting with the local audience after the screening.

The Singapore ETO sponsored a reception before the opening screening. Speaking at the reception, the Director of the Singapore ETO, Ms Elsa Hung, highlighted the role of cinema in showcasing Hong Kong's culture and creativity to international audiences.

"Hong Kong has a rich cinematic heritage and our films have, over the decades, brought Hong Kong's unique stories, culture and creativity to audiences worldwide. We are delighted to support the Hong Kong Film Gala Presentation again this year and bring both established classics and exciting new works by Hong Kong filmmakers to our friends in Singapore," Ms Hung said.

"The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government is committed to supporting the continued development of Hong Kong's film industry, including nurturing talent, enhancing local production, expanding markets and building audiences. By bringing Hong Kong films and filmmakers overseas, we hope to provide our film talent with greater exposure and opportunities to connect with international audiences and industry counterparts, while enabling more people to discover Hong Kong and our stories through cinema. We also look forward to fostering closer exchanges and collaboration between the film communities of Hong Kong and Singapore," she added.

This year's Gala Presentation features six recent Hong Kong productions: "Dog Day Evening", "Because of You Ka Kui", "Wakesurf Lovers", "The Dating Menu", "Gamer Girls" and "The Snowball on a Sunny Day". The films offer distinctive stories, characters and creative perspectives, covering themes ranging from youth and relationships to food and choices in life.

The programme also celebrates the enduring legacy and international influence of Hong Kong cinema with two landmark films starring Bruce Lee: "Enter the Dragon" and "The Way of the Dragon", with the latter presented in a 4K restoration. The screenings offer Singapore audiences an opportunity to revisit the two classics on the big screen.

In addition to Mak and Leung, actress Renci Yeung, who stars in "Wakesurf Lovers", and "The Dating Menu" together with Leung, is also attending this year's Gala Presentation and meeting local audiences. The three Hong Kong filmmakers took the opportunity to engage directly with audiences in Singapore, share their creative perspectives and build connections with the local film community.

Alongside the film screenings, a special talk will be held on September 13, bringing together Hong Kong director Mak and Singapore filmmaker Kelvin Sng. The two directors will discuss their creative journeys, approaches to filmmaking and experiences in bringing stories from concept to the screen, and exchange perspectives on filmmaking in Hong Kong and Singapore. The talk is open to the public free of charge, with prior registration required.

The Hong Kong Film Gala Presentation – Singapore runs until September 13. For programme details, please visit www.afa-academy.com.

Source: AI-found images