One more resident who was injured in Tai Po Wang Fuk Court fire has been discharged upon recovery
The Health Bureau (HHB) announced today (February 13) that one more resident who was injured in the Tai Po Wang Fuk Court fire has been discharged from hospital upon recovery. Out of the 79 injured persons, 78 have been discharged upon recovery, and the remaining patient is in stable condition. Healthcare staff will continue to provide appropriate treatment and care to the patient.
The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, Photo by Bastille Post
The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, said, "I am very pleased that one more resident injured in the fire has been discharged from hospital before the Chinese New Year. I would also like to express my gratitude to the healthcare staff of the Hospital Authority (HA) for their wholehearted and dedicated efforts in treating the injured. Whiletreatment and care of burn patients may involve many challenges and uncertainties, our HA colleagues have helped the 79 injured persons to make steady progress towards recovery through their professionalism and extensive experience.
"Moreover, healthcare personnel from both the public and private sectors have worked with concerted efforts to save lives and provide comprehensive care for the physical and mental well-being of the affected residents under the co-ordination of the HHB. Colleagues from the HHB, the HA and the Department of Health will continue to shoulder the responsibility of safeguarding the well-being of citizens."
At present, the HHB leverages the District Health Centres/District Health Centre Expresses (collectively referred to as DHCs) across all 18 districts in Hong Kong as hubs to co-ordinate various primary healthcare services as needed for the affected residents. The latest figures of these services are as follows:
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 February 11, the DHCs hotlines across all 18 districts have received 414 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 February 11, 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, 108 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 70 referrals have been handled so far. Regarding free denture replacement services, more than 110 private dentists have participated, covering over 150 service points, and 33 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.
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 February 11, the HA has provided necessary healthcare services to around 2 000 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 February 11, the hotline has received over 24 500 calls, about 760 of which were related to the fire incident. The WhatsApp service has handled over 1 200 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 February 11, the Mental Health Direct hotline has received 110 calls related to the fire incident, with 48 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
