Following is a question by the Hon Maggie Chan and a written reply by the Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, in the Legislative Council today (May 13):

Question:

     The "eHealth+" five-year plan aims to upgrade the Electronic Health System (eHealth) into a comprehensive healthcare information infrastructure from which all Hong Kong residents will benefit. There are views that the elderly, who are the primary users of healthcare services, are also the most vulnerable to digital barriers and data security risks. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) whether the Government has compiled statistics on the number of elderly people aged 65 or above who have registered with eHealth, as well as the number of elderly people who have downloaded and activated the eHealth mobile application and their proportion of the population in that age group; if so, of the relevant figures; if not, the reasons for that;

(2) as eHealth offers features such as cross-boundary medical record sharing, whether the Government has compiled statistics on the number of elderly people currently using the "Cross-boundary Health Record" function; whether it has plans to provide home visits to assist the elderly in registering to use eHealth; if it has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

(3) for the sake of data security, whether the Government is planning to introduce stricter alerts for unusual logins (such as mobile phone SMS message notifications to family members) to prevent unauthorised access to the data of elderly people; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

(4) whether the Government has any contingency plans in place to address "system disconnections" or "server failures" of eHealth (such as preparing paper-based summaries of core medical records in advance for elderly people with chronic conditions, or establishing offline backup solutions)?

Reply:

President,

     eHealth is a territory-wide electronic health record sharing system launched by the Government in 2016 that enables citizens to authorise healthcare providers (HCPs) in the public and private sectors to view and share their electronic health records (eHRs) for healthcare purposes. Building on the strengths of eHealth, the Government announced in the 2023 Policy Address the initiative to roll out a five-year development plan of eHealth+ to transform eHealth into a comprehensive healthcare information infrastructure that integrates multiple functions of data sharing, service delivery and care journey management. eHealth+ aims to facilitate care co-ordination, cross-sector collaboration, as well as active health management and surveillance, thereby better serving our citizens in obtaining optimal healthcare services, and supporting the healthcare reform and various healthcare policies more effectively, such as primary healthcare and cross-boundary healthcare services. The Government is taking forward the eHealth+ development in phases in accordance with the patient-centric principle and four strategic directions, namely, One Health Record, One Care Journey, One Digital Front Door to Empowering Tool, and One Health Data Repository.

     Under the strategic direction of One Digital Front Door to Empowering Tool, the eHealth mobile application (eHealth App) is positioned as the unified health management tool for citizens, facilitating them to manage their health records, access health information, monitor their health condition, and build a healthier lifestyle in a one-stop manner. Through the eHealth App, the elderly users are currently able to access and share their eHRs deposited by local public and private HCPs, and designated Greater Bay Area medical institutions. Besides, they can use the eHealth App to manage various healthcare programmes and services (including checking the balance and usage record under the Elderly Health Care Voucher (EHCV) Scheme), search for suitable HCPs and healthcare professionals (HCProfs), and use their eHRs across the boundary, etc. In addition, their family members and carers can manage the elderly's relevant health records and services through the "My Family" function.

     In consultation with the Hospital Authority (HA), the reply to the questions raised by the Hon Maggie Chan is as follows:

(1) As at April 2026, over 1.68 million elderly persons aged 65 or above have registered with eHealth, representing 94 per cent of the population in that age group. Moreover, over 770 000 elderly persons aged 65 or above have downloaded and activated the eHealth App, accounting for 46 per cent of the elderly eHealth registrants. The number of monthly logins has also grown steadily in recent years, now exceeding 540 000 logins every month. 

(2) To support cross-boundary healthcare collaborations, the Government has progressively launched the "Cross-boundary Health Record" and "Personal Folder" functions of the eHealth App at 20 medical institutions, including the University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital (HKU-SZH) and medical institutions under the EHCV Greater Bay Area Pilot Scheme, since 2024 to facilitate citizens to securely use eHRs across the boundary, thereby enhancing the continuity of medical care. Since December 2025, the "Cross-boundary Health Record" function – originally limited to eligible elderly recipients of the EHCVs, has been extended to all eHealth users in Hong Kong. Besides, the Government upgraded the "Personal Folder" function in January 2026. Hong Kong 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 for users to upload themselves, into their personal eHealth accounts. Citizens can also access the relevant services for their family members through the "My Family" function.

     As at April 2026, over 17 100 elderly persons aged 65 or above have used the cross-boundary functions of eHealth. Detailed statistics are as follows:
 

Function		Number of users
Cross-boundary Health Record		13 541
Personal Folder	Self-deposit health data	3 406
	Authorise designated medical institutions to deposit radiology reports	3 202

     The Government has been actively promoting and facilitating citizens' registration with and use of eHealth, with special arrangements made through various online and offline channels to assist the elderly and other persons in need. At present, Hong Kong residents can register with eHealth online and use "iAM Smart" for identity verification to set up their eHealth accounts. Citizens can also register in person at 63 registration centres under the HA or the Department of Health (DH), or set up their eHealth accounts at designated post offices in 18 districts across Hong Kong. We have also deployed mobile registration teams to visit hospitals and clinics under the HA or the DH to assist citizens in registering with and using eHealth.

     To support elderly persons who have limited mobility or are less accustomed to using online services, we have partnered with various units to help them download the eHealth App and understand the relevant functions. Among others, we collaborated with the District Services and Community Care Teams across 18 districts under the Home Affairs Department to set up "e+Support Stations" at community events and conduct home visits. We also provided technical support and training through the "Smart Silver" Digital Inclusion Programme for Elders under the Digital Policy Office (DPO). Furthermore, we plan to launch the eHealth+ Intergeneration Inclusion Pilot Scheme this year in collaboration with non-governmental organisations, secondary schools, and elderly centres, under which students will serve as mentors to teach the elderly how to use the eHealth App.

     On the other hand, we have established the eHealth App User Advisory Group, comprising representatives from various user groups including the elderly. The Group is tasked with providing advice on the ongoing development and design of the eHealth App to ensure that user needs are effectively addressed. Taking into account feedback from different users, a new interface and feature upgrades will be launched this month, including a "Lite Mode" specifically designed for the elderly, to further enhance the user experience.

(3) Given the sensitive nature of citizens' health data, we attach great importance to the system security and data privacy protection of eHealth. We have established rigorous security policies and control protocols in accordance with the Government Information Technology Security Policy and Guidelines promulgated by the DPO, and have adopted appropriate technologies and protection measures to safeguard system security.

     According to the Electronic Health System Ordinance (Cap. 625), HCPs must obtain a "sharing consent" from citizens and adhere to the principles of "need-to-know" and "patient under care" when accessing citizens' eHRs in eHealth. All accesses are logged and citizens are notified via their pre-selected communication channels (including SMS, post, or email) each time their eHRs are accessed. Citizens and their "carers" authorised through the "My Family" function can also review HCPs' access records through the eHealth App. Should citizens suspect that their eHRs have been accessed without authorisation, they may contact the Electronic Health Record Office to make enquiries or lodge complaints.

(4) To safeguard patient safety and service continuity, we have formulated a business continuity plan in the event of eHealth system failures or network interruptions. In terms of record access, the system can activate an emergency operation mode (such as read-only mode), enabling HCProfs to continue viewing patients' eHRs through a backup mechanism to ensure that services remain unaffected. As for record deposit, since eHealth does not replace HCPs' clinical management systems, relevant HCPs will continue to deliver services and record patients' health data in accordance with their existing operational arrangements. Any eHRs generated during the interruption will be deposited into eHealth once the system resumes normal operation, ensuring the completeness of citizens' eHRs. Furthermore, regular testing and drills of the relevant backup and recovery arrangements are conducted to ensure that the contingency mechanisms can be effectively activated during emergencies, thereby continuously enhancing system resilience and response capabilities.

Ends/Wednesday, May 13, 2026
Issued at HKT 12:20

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