The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government, in collaboration with the Guangdong Provincial Government and the Shenzhen Municipal Government, conducted the first northbound transfer drill for the Pilot Scheme for Direct Cross-boundary Ambulance Transfer in the Greater Bay Area (Pilot Scheme) today (February 10) to test the route and immigration arrangements under the simulated transfer of patients by cross-boundary ambulance from Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) to the University of Hong Kong - Shenzhen Hospital (HKU-SZH).

     During the drill, the Shenzhen ambulance departed from HKU-SZH and travelled to the designated Hong Kong sending hospital (i.e. QEH) via Shenzhen Bay Port to pick up the patient, and then transferred the patient back to HKU-SZH via the same port for treatment. The testing process was smooth.

     In his 2025 Policy Address, the Chief Executive has announced that the HKSAR Government will, in collaboration with the governments of Guangdong and Macao, extend the cross-boundary ambulance transfer arrangements in an orderly manner, including the expansion to cover designated hospitals in Zhuhai and Nansha, as well as two-way transfers. The Pilot Scheme (southbound transfer) has been officially extended from Shenzhen and Macao to Zhuhai and Nansha since November 9, 2025.

     The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, said, "The successful conduction of the first northbound transfer drill from Hong Kong to Shenzhen by the government departments of Guangdong and Hong Kong has laid the foundation for extending the Pilot Scheme to a two-way transfer arrangement. The HKSAR Government will continue to maintain close communication and co-operation with relevant Mainland authorities, expecting to officially implement the two-way transfer of the direct cross-boundary ambulance transfer within the first quarter of this year. This will expedite the actualisation of a high degree of healthcare integration within the Greater Bay Area and promote the high-quality development of a 'Healthy Bay Area'."

     The overall operation of the Pilot Scheme has been smooth since its implementation from November 30, 2024. The Pilot Scheme will be extended until November 29 this year, and subsequent arrangements will be announced at an appropriate juncture. To date, 23 patients have been transferred from designated sending hospitals in Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Nansha, and Macao (i.e. HKU-SZH, Zhuhai People's Hospital, Nansha Division of the First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, and Conde S. Januario Hospital of Macao) to designated public hospitals in Hong Kong for treatment. According to professional medical assessments, the patients concerned have a need for continuous hospitalisation for treatment. Their conditions were relatively stable, but they were unable to cross the boundary on their own and were unsuitable for transfer to an ambulance via the existing boundary control points.

Ends/Tuesday, February 10, 2026
Issued at HKT 18:18

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