Hospital Authority Standardizes Naming of Chinese Medicine Clinics in 18 Districts, Starting July 1, 2026

Hospital Authority standardises Chinese Medicine Clinics naming by district to better serve public

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

The Hospital Authority (HA) today (June 26) announced that, in alignment with the Government's Chinese medicine policy and the overall development direction set out in the Chinese Medicine Development Blueprint, starting from July 1, 2026 (Wednesday), the HA's Chinese Medicine Clinics cum Training and Research Centres (CMCTRs) in the 18 districts will adopt a standardised district-based naming convention. The new naming standard will be "(District Name) Chinese Medicine Clinic cum Training and Research Centre" (see appendix). This arrangement aims to more precisely reflect their district-based positioning and development objectives in serving the public.

"By adopting a standardised district-based naming approach for the CMCTRs in the 18 districts, we can further strengthen the connection between the CMCTRs and the community. This reflects our commitment to a root-based community service and district-focused care, and reinforces the pivotal role these CMCTRs play in the primary healthcare network of Chinese medicine. At the same time, the district names will make it easier for the public to identify the relevant clinics, thereby enabling citizens in seeking government-subsidised Chinese medicine outpatient services," the HA spokesperson said.

The spokesperson added, "Following the standardisation of naming, the CMCTRs in the 18 districts will continue to be operated under a tripartite collaboration model involving the HA, non-governmental organisations and universities. Since 2020, the CMCTRs have dovetailed with the Government's Chinese medicine policy to provide government-subsidised Chinese medicine outpatient services at the district level, in addition to their roles of teaching and research, that is providing post-registration training for Chinese medicine practitioners and promoting research projects, as well as providing non-government subsidised services. The HA sincerely thanks our tripartite partners for their continued active support and collaboration, and we will work together to provide professional and high-quality Chinese medicine services across all districts."

The HA reminds members of the public that the service arrangement, daily operation and patients' past medical records and information for the CMCTRs in the 18 districts will not be affected by the standardised naming. The CMCTRs will not contact citizens to request any personal or additional information in connection with the naming exercise. The clinics will continue to provide both government-subsidised and non-subsidised Chinese medicine outpatient services. Patients may make an appointment either by telephone during service hours, or through the "18 CM Clinics" mobile application (applicable to patients who have registered for the 18 CMCTRs' services).

To align with the renaming arrangement, all CMCTRs in the 18 districts will gradually change facilities' names, signage and website information, and will place notices in prominent locations of the clinics to inform patients of the relevant arrangements. Meanwhile, the Primary Care Directory of the Health Bureau will also be updated accordingly. The HA will continue to maintain close liaison with different stakeholders, with a view to ensuring members of the public can receive relevant information clearly.

The Hospital Authority, Photo source: reference image

Hong Kong Customs combats unfair trade practices by postnatal care centre

Hong Kong Customs yesterday (June 25) arrested a female director and salesperson of a postnatal care centre suspected of having applied false trade descriptions in the course ofselling postnatal services, in contravention of the Trade Descriptions Ordinance (TDO).

Customs earlier received information from members of the public alleging that a postnatal care centre, when selling postnatal services, had falsely claimed to have partnerships with multiple private hospitals, offering appointment-free medical consultation services, and claimed to have collaborated with a well-known restaurant to provide postnatal meals. Upon using the services, customers found that there were material differences from what the centre had promised and services delivered. Customs subsequently launched an investigation and verified with the relevant hospitals and the restaurant, all of which confirmed that they had no partnership with the postnatal care centre.

After investigation, Customs officers yesterday arrested a 40-year-old local female director and salesperson of the centre.

An investigation is ongoing and the arrested person has been released on bail pending further investigation.

Customs reminds traders to comply with the requirements of the TDO and consumers to procure services at reputable businesses.

Under the TDO, any trader who applies a false trade description to a service supplied or offered to be supplied to a consumer commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $500,000 and imprisonment for five years.

Members of the public may report any suspected violations of the TDO to Customs' 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002).

Source: AI-found images