The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     ​A spokesperson for the Hospital Authority (HA) reminded the public today (August 14) that, to further safeguard patients' personal data and privacy, starting tomorrow (August 15), the telephone appointment system (TAS) of Family Medicine Clinics (FMCs) will only accept calls from phone numbers with caller ID for appointment booking. If patients hide their phone number before calling the TAS, the system will automatically play a recorded message reminding them to switch to a phone with caller ID and call the FMC again.
     
     For patients with episodic diseases requiring consultation services (such as influenza or gastroenteritis), before calling the TAS of an FMC, they may first check whether the "Show my caller ID" function is enabled in the settings of their mobile phones. If a patient's landline has opted for a per-line blocking, they should dial 1357 before making a call to display the phone number once for that specific call, or contact the telecommunications service provider to cancel the arrangement for per-line blocking.
     
     The spokesperson for HA reiterated that the updated TAS of FMCs, which no longer accepts calls without caller ID for appointment bookings, aims to accurately record the source of each booking call, facilitate verification of patient information when necessary, and help prevent criminals from using phones without caller ID to impersonate patients when making appointments, thereby enhancing protection for patients.
     
     The HA reminds new patients, namely those who have never registered in the HA nor used HA services, that they are required to bring their original identity documents and visit any FMC in person to register and verify their information before they can use the telephone appointment service thereafter. As for chronic disease patients, after each follow-up visit, the FMC will arrange the next appointment based on the patients' clinical needs, and these patients do not need to make an appointment again by calling the TAS. The HA encourages patients to use the Book FMC function in the mobile application, HA Go, which is more convenient and efficient.

Ends/Friday, August 14, 2026
Issued at HKT 11:17

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