Free healthcare services extended for fire-affected residents in Tai Po until August 31, 2026

Health Bureau extends free medical consultation services for residents affected by Tai Po Wang Fuk Court fire to end of August

The Health Bureau (HHB) announced today (February 26) that free consultation services by family doctors and Chinese medicine (CM) practitioners, and free denture replacement services provided for residents affected by the fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, will be extended for six months to August 31 this year. The Primary Healthcare Commission (PHC Commission) will continue to leverage 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 and arrangements of these services are as follows:

The Health Bureau (HHB), Photo source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

DHC hotlines

Under the co-ordination of the PHC Commission, the DHCs across all 18 districts in Hong Kong have set up hotlines since December 1 last year (see Annex 1) to arrange 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 CM practitioners, assisting residents to manage follow-up appointment arrangements and medication refills at the Hospital Authority (HA)'s out-patient services as necessary, and making referrals to necessary healthcare, nursing and medication services, as well as psychological support. The services co-ordinated by the DHCs are not subject to district boundaries. For example, the DHCs may assist affected residents in transferring the HA's Family Medicine Out-patient (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 24, DHC hotlines across all 18 districts have received 435 enquiries in total.

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

The HHB has introduced a free family doctor service scheme, free CM consultation services, and free denture replacement services since December last year to support the primary healthcare needs of the affected residents. Case managers of the DHCs will arrange the affected residents 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 24, 224 referrals have been handled by the DHCs.

To continuously support the primary healthcare needs of the affected residents, with the consent of all participating private medical partners and organisations, the HHB will extend the aforementioned schemes and services for six months to August 31 this year. The mode of service will remain unchanged. For more details of the extended free consultation services, affected residents may call the DHC hotlines to make enquiries and arrange for referrals.

The HHB extends sincere gratitude to the selfless devotion of all participating private family doctors, private hospitals, CM practitioners and dentists for shouldering social responsibilities and actively supporting the affected residents by providing them with free necessary healthcare services.

HA's healthcare services

The HA will also continue to provide necessary healthcare services to affected residents. 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 (CMCTRs) under the HA. As of February 24, the HA has provided necessary healthcare services to around 2 000 affected residents.

Meanwhile, the PHC Commission and the HA also enable affected residents with healthcare needs to make priority bookings for FMOP Services and CMCTR services. Residents can make a priority booking for FMOP Services by following the instructions through the "Support Residents Affected by Fire Incident - FMOP Priority Booking" section in the eHealth mobile application, or for the HA's CMCTRs services via telephone booking.

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. As of February 24, out of the 79 patients received treatment at various public hospitals due to the fire, 78 of them have already 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.

Mental health support

The existing mental health support will continue to operate, including the 18111 - Mental Health Support Hotline, the HA's 24-hour Mental Health Direct hotline, and the Compassionate Support Programme for Bereaved Families. 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 24, the hotline has received more than 29 000 calls, about 770 of which were related to the fire incident. The WhatsApp service has handled over 1 400 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 24, the Mental Health Direct hotline has received 111 calls related to the fire incident, with 48 of them coming from affected citizens.

The HHB once again expressed heartfelt gratitude to various parties in the community for their efforts in providing comprehensive primary healthcare support to the affected residents, and will continue to ensure affected residents can receive convenient and effective medical support through the DHCs.

Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, Photo by Bastille Post

DH urges public to promptly receive seasonal influenza vaccinations amid rising influenza activity

The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health said today (February 26) that, although local influenza activity has been in a continuous downward trend since mid-January, there has been a rebound over the past week, particularly for influenza B. The CHP urged members of the public who have not yet received the 2025/26 seasonal influenza vaccination (SIV), except those with known contraindications, to promptly receive the SIV to safeguard their health and reduce the risk of serious complications or death from infection.

"The CHP's latest surveillance data shows that the percentage of respiratory specimens tested positive for seasonal influenza viruses last week (February 15 to 21) was 2.29 per cent, up from 1.96 per cent recorded in the previous week (February 8 to 14). During the same period, the influenza admission rate in public hospitals was 0.13 cases per 10 000 population, which is higher than the 0.10 cases per 10 000 population recorded in the previous week. The proportion of influenza B among positive respiratory specimens has gradually increased from around 6 per cent in late January to over 21 per cent last week. Meanwhile, the proportion of influenza A (H3) virus strains has decreased from 91 to 71 per cent. Outside Hong Kong, seasonal influenza activity remains high in Japan and Korea, with the predominant circulating viruses having shifted from influenza A (H3) to influenza B. Japan is experiencing another winter peak driven by influenza B. Influenza B proportions have also increased in many parts of the world recently, including the Chinese Mainland, Taiwan and North America," the Controller of the CHP, Dr Edwin Tsui, said.

"Based on past experience, Hong Kong's winter influenza season typically occurs in the first quarter. Given the persistently cold weather, combined with factors such as individuals returning from outbound travel after the long holidays and the shift in circulating virus strains, it cannot be ruled out that influenza activity will continue to increase and Hong Kong may enter the winter influenza season. The CHP will continue to closely monitor the situation. Scientific research indicates that this season's SIV provides protection against influenza A and influenza B viruses. As it takes about two weeks after vaccination for antibodies to develop in the body for sufficient protection against the influenza virus, I appeal again to all individuals aged 6 months or older, except those with known contraindications, to receive the SIV if they have not yet done so. This is particularly important for high-risk groups such as the elderly, children, and adults with underlying illnesses or immunosuppression. Furthermore, individuals who contracted influenza during the summer influenza season late last year but have not yet received the SIV should also get vaccinated promptly to guard against other circulating virus strains that may emerge during the upcoming winter influenza season. Apart from receiving the vaccination through the DH's SIV Programmes, members of the public may also contact their family doctors to arrange vaccinations," said Dr Tsui.

"So far this year, five severe paediatric influenza cases have been recorded, involving children aged between 6 months and 15 years old. Three of the affected children had not received an SIV. I would like to remind parents and caregivers that influenza in children may deteriorate rapidly. If a sick child shows any sign of deteriorating condition, for example the emergence of symptoms such as shortness of breath, wheezing, blue lips, chest pain, confusion, a persistent fever or convulsions, the child must be taken to an Accident and Emergency Department immediately," he added.

For other respiratory pathogens, the latest surveillance data shows increased activity of rhinovirus/enterovirus and parainfluenza viruses. The percentage of respiratory specimens testing positive for parainfluenza virus have risen compared to January. To prevent respiratory infections, members of the public should maintain good personal, hand and environmental hygiene at all times. Furthermore, high-risk individuals should wear surgical masks when staying in crowded places. People with respiratory symptoms, even if mild, should wear a surgical mask and seek medical advice promptly. They should avoid crowded places andrefrain from work or attending classes at school.

Members of the public may refer to the CHP's COVID-19 & Flu Express, Seasonal Influenza Webpage and Vaccination Schemes Webpage, for the latest information.