LCQ3: Facilitating cross-boundary use of healthcare services by members of public
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Question:
With the integrated development of cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), quite a number of Hong Kong residents have used cross-boundary healthcare services in the Mainland in recent years. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) whether it knows the overall situation regarding Hong Kong residents using cross-boundary healthcare services in the Mainland in recent years, including the number of attendances and the major medical items involved;
(2) of the respective numbers of participants in the Pilot Scheme for Supporting Patients of the Hospital Authority in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (Pilot Scheme for HA Patients) and the Elderly Health Care Voucher Greater Bay Area Pilot Scheme (Voucher Pilot Scheme) since their launch and the feedback from the participants;
(3) given that since July 2024, the eHealth mobile application has respectively implemented the Cross-boundary Health Record and Personal Folder functions, enabling members of the public to use their electronic health records across the boundary at designated medical institutions outside Hong Kong and to self-deposit medical records obtained during consultations outside Hong Kong to eHealth, of the respective numbers of users of these two functions to date and their feedback; and
(4) whether the authorities will strengthen cooperation with medical institutions in the Mainland to provide more cross-boundary healthcare services, including extending the Pilot Scheme for HA Patients and the Voucher Pilot Scheme to more suitable medical institutions in the Mainland; referring patients to suitable medical institutions in the Mainland for further examination or treatment according to their wishes; and actively establishing a mechanism for the mutual recognition of medical records in GBA, so as to better respond to the public's demand for cross-boundary healthcare services while alleviating the pressure on public hospital services in Hong Kong?
Reply:
President,
The reply, in consultation with the Department of Health (DH) and the Hospital Authority (HA), to the question raised by Professor the Hon Chan Wing-kwong is as follows:
On the premise of benefitting the development of Hong Kong and the Mainland, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government has been following the principles of complementarity and mutual benefits to enhance co-operation with various Mainland cities of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), with a view to promoting the overall enhancement of the medical professional standards within the GBA and allowing specific groups of Hong Kong residents (including those working, living or retiring in the Mainland) to voluntarily choose to receive healthcare services in the Mainland through pilot measures or schemes. In recent years, the HKSAR Government has actively advanced pilot schemes and measures to assist or facilitate specific groups of Hong Kong residents in accessing healthcare services in the Mainland. The usage, major healthcare items, and feedback from participants for these schemes and measures are as follows. The Government did not maintain data or statistics on Hong Kong residents' cross-boundary use of Mainland healthcare services which are not under programmes provided by the HKSAR Government.
(1) The Elderly Health Care Voucher Greater Bay Area Pilot Scheme (EHCV GBA Pilot Scheme) was launched in 2024; and the coverage of Elderly Health Care Vouchers (EHCVs) has been extended by phases since June 2024 to seven integrated medical/dental institutions in the GBA, covering Guangzhou, Zhongshan, Dongguan and Shenzhen, including two designated dental institutions in Shenzhen for addressing the demand of Hong Kong elderly persons for dental services. In view of the positive responses from the local community, the HKSAR Government announced the extension of the EHCV GBA Pilot Scheme in May 2025 to include 12 additional medical institutions to cover all the nine Mainland cities in the GBA, and the goal was fully achieved in August 2025. Together with the two existing service points operated by the University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital (HKU-SZH), eligible elderly persons can use EHCVs at a total of 21 service points in the Mainland cities of the GBA, providing them with more healthcare options and sparing them the burden of lengthy journeys, thereby enhancing their sense of well-being.
As at end-January 2026, over 32 200 eligible elderly persons have used EHCVs to pay for the fees of outpatient healthcare services received at medical institutions under the EHCV GBA Pilot Scheme, involving 74 956 voucher claim transactions and a total claimed amount at approximately HK$79.56 million. Since the launch of the EHCV GBA Pilot Scheme, the utilisation rate of EHCVs in the pilot medical institutions has been rising steadily. The major service types for using the EHCVs are "Follow up / Monitoring of Long Term Conditions" (53 per cent) and "Preventive" (23 per cent).
Since the launch of the EHCV GBA Pilot Scheme, all pilot medical institutions have been operating smoothly. The DH has conducted inspections at all existing pilot medical institutions and put in place related monitoring measures. No aberrant voucher claim was found so far. The extension of the EHCV GBA Pilot Scheme to full coverage of all the nine Mainland cities in the GBA marks another milestone in policy innovation and cross-boundary medical collaboration. The EHCV GBA Pilot Scheme is still in its initial operation period and some of the pilot medical institutions have operated for less than half year, the Government will continue to assess and monitor the operation and usage of EHCVs in the pilot medical institutions and review the effectiveness of the EHCV GBA Pilot Scheme in due course before studying further arrangements;
(2) The "Cross-boundary Health Record" and "Personal Folder" functions in the eHealth mobile application have been gradually launched at 20 medical institutions, including the HKU-SZH and medical institutions under the EHCV GBA Pilot Scheme, since 2024 to dovetail with cross-boundary medical collaborations.
The "Cross-boundary Health Record" function enables eHealth users to apply for their electronic health records (eHRs) deposited in eHealth in the preceding three years and to authorise healthcare professionals of the designated medical institutions outside Hong Kong to access their eHRs during consultations to assist with diagnosis and treatment. Besides, eHealth users can deposit the medical records obtained outside Hong Kong in their personal eHealth accounts via the "Personal Folder" function, facilitating centralised storage and usage, including allowing authorised Hong Kong healthcare institutions to access via eHealth during follow-up care. Under the principle of "bring your own health records", the two functions can facilitate Hong Kong citizens to securely use their eHRs across the boundary through eHealth, thereby enhancing continuity of care.
Starting from December 2025, the HKSAR Government has extended the "Cross-boundary Health Record" function, which was previously limited to eligible elderly recipients of the EHCVs, to all eHealth users in Hong Kong. The Government has also upgraded the "Personal Folder" function in January 2026. Citizens may authorise three designated medical institutions outside Hong Kong (namely the HKU-SZH, Zhongshan Chen Xinghai Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine and Shenzhen New Frontier United Family Hospital) to directly deposit high-resolution radiology reports and images, which are often challenging to upload themselves, into their personal eHealth accounts.
The cross-boundary functions have received positive feedback since their launch. As of mid-February 2026, more than 14 000 citizens have used the "Cross-boundary Health Record" function, submitting over 16 000 applications. Moreover, citizens have uploaded more than 25 000 records through the "Personal Folder" function, which consisted mainly of investigation reports, and of which around 45 per cent of these records originated from the HKU-SZH and medical institutions under the EHCV GBA Pilot Scheme. As for the high-resolution radiology image function upgrade for the "Personal Folder", over 2 000 applications have been received in three weeks since its launch.
The HKSAR Government will continue to maintain close communication with the relevant Mainland authorities and medical institutions in deepening cross-boundary medical record sharing through eHealth, with a view to supporting the cross-boundary healthcare needs of citizens and enhancing the quality and safety of cross-boundary medical services more effectively. Throughout the process, the HKSAR Government will strictly adhere to the overarching principles of ensuring relevant arrangements comply with the laws and regulations in Hong Kong and the Mainland, and that data security and patient privacy are fully safeguarded; and
(3) The Pilot Scheme for Supporting Patients of the HA in the GBA, launched on May 10, 2023, enables patients with scheduled follow-up appointments at designated out-patient clinics of the HA (eligible patients) to choose to receive subsidised consultation services at the designated collaborating healthcare institution in the GBA. The scope of services covers out-patient services provided by the HA, namely anaesthesiology (pain clinic only); cardiothoracic surgery; clinical oncology; ear, nose and throat; eye; gynaecology; internal medicine; neurosurgery; obstetrics; orthopaedics and traumatology (orthopaedics); paediatrics; surgery; and family medicine out-patient services. The said Pilot Scheme aims to provide Hong Kong residents who receive HA services with more choices, and is currently applicable to the HKU-SZH. As at end‑January 2026, more than 5 900 eligible patients had participated in the Scheme, with cumulative attendances over 25 000. According to a patient survey conducted by the HKU‑SZH in November last year, over 90 per cent of the respondents expressed satisfaction with the services. The HKSAR Government and the HA will review the effectiveness and service coverage of this Pilot Scheme on an annual basis.
When formulating cross-boundary healthcare measures, the HKSAR Government will not only focus on meeting the needs of Hong Kong citizens, but will also consider the potential impact of the policies on the social resources and livelihood of citizens of the GBA and the Mainland as a whole. The Health Bureau has been continuously deepening the reform of the healthcare system to ensure that Hong Kong maintains high-quality medical services and a highly efficient healthcare system, and there is no intention of shifting the primary responsibility for healthcare services to neighbouring cities. The HKSAR Government will continue to closely monitor the progress of various cross-boundary healthcare collaboration initiatives and explore various feasible measures under the principle of complementarity and mutual benefits, including exploring the feasibility of expanding the scope of co-operation of relevant measures to cover other Mainland medical institutions in the GBA, with a view to supporting the medical needs of Hong Kong citizens more effectively.
Ends/Wednesday, February 25, 2026
Issued at HKT 15:20
Issued at HKT 15:20
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