Hospital Authority completes conversion to new caller identification number prefix 18285 or 18286
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The Hospital Authority (HA) announced today (June 30) that the HA operating units have completed the conversion of caller identification (caller ID) numbers, including public hospitals, family medicine clinics, healthcare institutions, and the HA Head Office. They have adopted a number between 1828 500 and 1828 599 or between 1828 600 and 1828 699 for caller ID purposes (see appendix).
The spokesperson for the HA said that the switchover to the new caller ID numbers has been operating smoothly. This will enable members of the public to clearly identify HA calls, thereby reducing the chances of them refusing to answer HA calls due to concerns about excessive promotional calls or potential phone scams, and even missing urgent calls from accident and emergency departments or wards.
The spokesperson for the HA reminds members of the public that, when calling back the number, they will generally hear a recorded phone message indicating which public hospital or clinic the call originated from. If necessary, staff will contact them again later. The caller ID number will not be connected to the relevant public hospital or clinic. As for the existing phone numbers for contacting HA operating units, they will remain unchanged. In addition, for operational needs, some HA operating units will still retain direct landline numbers or use mobile phones to contact members of the public.
Members of the public should take care to verify the identity of the caller when receiving calls from public hospitals. Where the HA needs to contact members of the public, it will generally do so by having staff call them directly and provide relevant information to verify identity. Members of the public should not provide any personal information to callers from unknown sources to avoid privacy breaches. If members of the public suspect they have received a scam call, they should seek assistance from the Police.
Ends/Tuesday, June 30, 2026
Issued at HKT 10:00
Issued at HKT 10:00
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