LCQ16: Development of primary healthcare services
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Question:
Regarding the development of primary healthcare services, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the latest numbers of doctors, dentists and Chinese Medicine practitioners among the 18 districts across the territory who have, to date, enrolled in the Primary Care Directory, and the respective percentages of such numbers in the numbers of the relevant healthcare personnel in Hong Kong, with a breakdown by District Council district;
(2) whether it has compiled statistics on the respective family doctor coverage rates for people aged 0 to 14, 15 to 64 and 65 or above among the 18 districts across the territory, calculated on the basis of the population structure of each district in Hong Kong; how the authorities formulate strategies and measures for the matching of family doctors in response to the health needs of these different age groups;
(3) whether it has plans to expand the Chronic Disease Co-Care Pilot Scheme to cover more chronic diseases; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(4) whether it will establish a mechanism for the co-ordinated assessment of "Family Doctor for All" and population policies (such as labour force protection and elderly care planning), and how it will further enhance primary healthcare policies to better address population challenges such as an ageing population and labour shortages; if so, of the specific measures and timetable; if not, the reasons for that; and
(5) as the Chief Executive proposed in the 2026 Policy Address that the Primary Healthcare Commission would gradually extend its free pre-pregnancy, antenatal and postnatal classes to all District Health Centres (DHCs) and DHC Expresses in Hong Kong, apart from organising seminars and providing relevant information, whether the authorities will, by drawing on the experience of the Mainland, explore the introduction of further services, such as free home visits during the first week after childbirth to provide postnatal women with postnatal care, neonatal care and feeding guidance, or the development of a one-stop official mobile application that consolidates information on pregnancy planning, pregnancy and the postnatal period, while offering real-time online advice (e.g. on healthcare, pregnancy, feeding, infant swallowing difficulties); if so, of the specific measures; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
Since the release of the Primary Healthcare Blueprint (Blueprint), the Government has been committed to implementing the reform measures set out therein and steadily advancing the development of the primary healthcare system. Building on this, the Government has further put forward the promotion of high-quality development of primary healthcare in the First Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (2026-2030) (Hong Kong's Five-Year Plan) and the Chief Executive's 2026 Policy Address (Policy Address). Following the directions of improving the governance system, expanding the service network and coverage, strengthening public-private collaboration and increasing resource allocation, the Government seeks to build a sustainable primary healthcare governance system, and to develop the Primary Healthcare Co-care Network and the District Health Network in a co-ordinated manner. In consultation with the Primary Healthcare Commission (PHC Commission), the Department of Health (DH) and the Hospital Authority (HA), the consolidated reply to the respective parts of the question raised by the Hon Nixie Lam is as follows:
(1) to (4) The Government's vision is for all members of the public and their family members to be paired with their own family doctors. This is the ultimate goal that the Government strives to achieve under "Family Doctor for All", the fundamental guiding principle for primary healthcare policy. In fact, family doctors are the main provider of primary care. Since the publication of the consultation paper of "Building a Healthy Tomorrow", the Government has been promoting this concept, emphasising the role of family doctor as the patient's first contact point in providing preventive and continuous care. Subsequently, the Government launched the Primary Care Directory (Directory) to encourage members of the public to receive preventive care and manage their health through private family doctors.
The Government released the Blueprint in December 2022, setting out forward-looking, holistic and pragmatic strategies towards the ultimate goal of establishing family doctors as the personal health managers of all citizens. The Blueprint puts forward two key measures: first, to encourage all primary healthcare service providers to join the Directory so as to ensure the supply and quality of primary healthcare services; and second, to foster a long-term family doctor-patient relationship between the patient and his/her family doctor. Along this direction, the Government has been, on the one hand, expanding service provision and improving the primary healthcare network, and on the other hand, encouraging members of the public to pair with their family doctors and proactively manage their health through scheme designs and subsidisation arrangements.
On expanding service provision and improving the primary healthcare network, the Government utilises District Health Centres/Expresses (collectively referred to as DHCs) as the hubs for co-ordinating and supporting primary healthcare services, where family doctors work with nurses and other allied health professionals as multi-disciplinary teams to formulate comprehensive, continuous and holistic personal healthcare plans. Hong Kong's Five-Year Plan stipulates that the Government will strive to substantially complete the establishment of DHCs across all 18 districts within five years, bringing the cumulative DHC membership to one million, thereby laying a district-based service foundation for the progressive expansion of family doctor pairing.
The Blueprint proposed driving all primary healthcare service providers to join the Directory, and expanding the Directory to cover more allied health professionals beyond doctors, dentists and Chinese medicine practitioners, including the development of sub-directories for physiotherapists, occupational therapists and pharmacists. As recommended in the Blueprint, the Government established sub-directories for occupational therapists and physiotherapists under the Directory in June 2025, and is now preparing for the establishment of a sub-directory for pharmacists to tie in with the Community Pharmacy Programme to be launched at the end of this year. The Government will continue to develop sub-directories for other allied health professionals, such as optometrists, in phases, promoting the provision of comprehensive primary healthcare services to members of the public by multi-disciplinary teams.
The Blueprint also required that all healthcare professionals providing primary healthcare services must be enlisted in the Directory, so as to ensure that they have participated in continuing medical education or continuing professional development programmes applicable to their professions, thereby enhancing quality assurance. In line with the recommendations of the Blueprint, the PHC Commission has implemented in phases the requirement for doctors, dentists, occupational therapists and physiotherapists participating in Government-subsidised primary healthcare programmes to join the Directory. In addition, the Blueprint recommended requiring all primary healthcare service providers to use eHealth, so as to promote continuity of healthcare services and cross-sectoral collaboration. To this end, the PHC Commission has also implemented the requirement that dentists, occupational therapists and physiotherapists listed in the Directory must join eHealth. The Government will continue to extend the above two requirements to other primary healthcare service providers in phases. In this connection, the Chinese Medicine Development Blueprint also proposed strengthening the role of Chinese medicine in primary healthcare; in future, Chinese medicine practitioners participating in Government-subsidised primary healthcare programmes will be required to register with the Directory. The Government is drawing up the relevant plans and listening to the views of the sector, and the specific arrangements will be announced in due course.
Driven by the above measures, as well as the PHC Commission's publicity and encouragement through various channels, the overall number of primary healthcare service providers listed in the Directory has continued to rise. The numbers as at August 31, 2026 are set out in the table below. Compared with the end of 2022 when the Blueprint was released, the number of enlisted doctors had increased by more than 50 per cent, while the number of enlisted dentists had increased by more than 5.5 times.
| Primary healthcare service providers listed in the Directory | Total number listed in the Directory (as at August 31, 2026) |
| Doctors | 4 173 |
| Dentists | 1 501 |
| Chinese medicine practitioners | 2 787 |
| Occupational therapists | 196 |
| Physiotherapists | 872 |
The PHC Commission will continue to encourage primary healthcare service providers to enrol in the Directory and enhance service quality, and will assist members of the public in pairing with family doctors through DHCs across the territory. In the long run, as recommended in the Blueprint, the Government will transform the existing Directory into the Primary Care Register (Register), which will serve as a central register for all primary healthcare professionals, and will also prescribe qualification requirements and designated primary healthcare training as one of the conditions for continued listing.
On the other hand, in promoting family doctor pairing, the Government strengthens public confidence in primary healthcare services through the quality assurance requirements of the Directory, and establishes long-term doctor-patient relationships between patients and family doctors through various programmes. Among them, the Chronic Disease Co-Care Scheme (CDCC Scheme) requires participants to pair with a family doctor of their own choice as a condition for joining, so as to achieve chronic-disease targeted, family-centric, continuous, coherent and holistic primary healthcare services.
To complement the family doctor-patient pairing mechanism, the Government will implement the Community Drug Formulary and Community Pharmacy Programme. Participants who have paired with a family doctor may, according to their clinical conditions, be prescribed drugs listed in the Community Drug Formulary by their family doctors. The Government will lower drug costs through joint procurement and enhance drug accessibility and affordability through community pharmacies, thereby alleviating participants' burden of long-term medication. The Community Pharmacy Programme will be implemented in four districts starting from the end of this year and will be progressively expanded to the whole territory.
The Government launched the CDCC Scheme at the end of 2023, providing screening, with DHCs as hubs, for persons aged 45 or above who are at higher risk of chronic diseases. Eligible participants are required to pair with a family doctor of their own choice to receive screening, with long-term follow-up care by their paired family doctors. Through targeted government subsidies and the co-payment principle, the CDCC Scheme draws upon private healthcare resources in piloting the family doctor-patient pairing mechanism.
To encourage participants to maintain a long-term relationship with their paired family doctors, the Scheme has put in place an incentive mechanism for collaborative doctor-patient partnership. Family doctors may receive incentives when the prerequisites are met (i.e. where participants blood glucose and blood pressure control reach the target levels), supporting their continuous care for participants' health in the community, while participants who meet the targets may also enjoy a reduction in the co-payment for medical consultation. The Scheme also encourages family doctors to follow up on participants' health conditions; family doctors may manage both the chronic diseases and other episodic illnesses of participants during any subsidised consultation.
The CDCC Scheme has been well received since its launch, with the number of participants reaching the target nearly 10 months ahead of schedule. Building on the experience gained, the Government launched the Primary Healthcare Co-care Network (Co-care Network) in March 2026. With "Family Doctor for All" at its core, the Co-care Network promotes the Life Course Preventive Care Plan, under which family doctors formulate evidence-based preventive care strategies according to the health needs of members of the public at different life stages. The Co-care Network incorporates the screening and management of the "three highs" under the CDCC Scheme, as well as the hepatitis B screening and management services under the Hepatitis B Co-care Scheme. The first phase spans five years, with a target participation of around 700 000 persons. The Co-care Network likewise requires participants to pair, according to their individual needs, with family doctors of their own choice to take care of their health. As at September 23, 2026, 909 family doctors (covering 1 223 service points) were participating in the Co-care Network, and about 391 700 DHC members (including Co-care Network participants) had paired with family doctors.
Meanwhile, to cater for the healthcare needs of underprivileged groups, the Government is working with the HA to reposition the HA's primary healthcare services, such that its Family Medicine team serve as family doctors for underprivileged groups and provide them with comprehensive primary healthcare services under the Family Medicine service model. Selected Family Medicine Clinics (FMCs) in all 18 districts across the territory have been providing preventive screening and care services, covering the "three highs", hepatitis B and women's health, to eligible underprivileged groups. As at September 23, 2026, over 13 000 eligible underprivileged persons had received such services at FMCs, with continuous follow-up by the Family Medicine Out-patient (FMOP) healthcare teams. The Government will continue to enhance the service capacity and scope of FMOP services. According to the Policy Address, starting from 2027, the HA's FMOP services will provide about 220 000 additional service quotas each year, including around 10 000 evening consultation slots. The Government will also strengthen the preventive screening and care services provided by selected FMCs for underprivileged groups, so that more underprivileged persons can receive continuous care delivered under the Family Medicine model.
The overall development of primary healthcare has taken a significant step forward. Through the implementation of the above measures, the Government has introduced a co-payment model to encourage members of the public to take primary responsibility for their own health, and has progressively established a mechanism for pairing members of the public with family doctors of their own choice while encouraging both doctors and patients to maintain long-term relationships. The Government will continue to accumulate experience in driving primary healthcare development and steadily move towards the ultimate goal of "Family Doctor for All", which includes defining the basic services of family doctors and clinics as well as the care provided to underprivileged groups by FMOP services, so as to deliver comprehensive, whole-person preventive services. The Government will progressively expand the Co-care Network to cover more chronic diseases, and incorporate women's health services, cancer screening and vaccination, whilst continuing to enhance the quality of family doctor services.
In addition, the PHC Commission is exploring the introduction of health programmes under the Co-care Network for occupations with higher health risks, with a view to addressing the health needs of the working population and enabling early identification of, and intervention in, health risks arising from the working environment or lifestyle habits, thereby helping to maintain the overall health and productivity of the labour force. In the longer term, the PHC Commission will also progressively integrate the Student Health Service under the DH into the primary healthcare system, so as to provide more coherent primary healthcare services for children and adolescents.
The Report on Ageing Society Strategies (Report), published by the Government in September this year, pointed out that amid the continued ageing of the population and the long-term increase in healthcare demand, healthcare expenditure will continue to rise structurally. One of the strategic measures proposed in the Report is to strengthen primary healthcare services for the elderly in the community. Starting from October 5 this year, the PHC Commission has progressively implemented the integration of Elderly Health Centre services under the DH, increasing the number of service points and service capacity, providing more comprehensive health assessments and shortening waiting times. Elderly persons in need may be referred to family doctors under the Co-care Network for further professional assessment and follow-up, thereby encouraging more elderly persons to pair with family doctors.
The above measures progressively cover groups at different life stages, from children and adolescents to the working population and the elderly. Together with the "Life‑course Health Promotion Strategy" to be published by the DH within this year, these measures encourage the public to accept primary responsibility for their own health and promote population-wide health management across different life stages.
As regards long-term planning, as set out in the Report, the Government has commissioned the HA to assist in conducting the triennial healthcare manpower projection, so as to monitor the supply and demand of healthcare manpower in light of factors such as demographic and age structure shifts. The HA and the DH will also, as recommended in the Report, deepen the analysis and targeted research on different aspects of elderly healthcare services demand, so as to provide continuous evidence base for the long-term allocation of healthcare resources for elderly health care. In addition, the Government will complete a baseline health literacy survey among Hong Kong citizens in 2027. Relevant data obtained will provide a more comprehensive evidence base for the long-term planning of primary healthcare services, so as to continuously refine and expand the Co-care Network, encourage more members of the public to become DHC members and pair with family doctors, and, as the Directory continues to expand and transforms into the Register, enable more members of the public to receive multi-disciplinary, evidence-based, co-ordinated and coherent primary healthcare services.
(5) The Maternal and Child Health Centres (MCHCs) of the DH provide free antenatal services for local pregnant women, including regular antenatal check-ups, blood and other tests, vaccination, and health education related to pregnancy, breastfeeding, as well as infants and young children feeding. The Obstetrics and Gynaecology departments of the HA have also been providing antenatal classes for expectant mothers to help them cope with concerns arising at different stages of pregnancy. The antenatal services provided by the MCHCs under the DH are being integrated into the HA in phases, with the HA providing comprehensive antenatal services. The first phase commenced on July 6, 2026, involving the integration of antenatal services from 15 MCHCs into nine public hospitals. The second phase of the antenatal service integration will be implemented in 2027 and will involve services of the remaining three MCHCs and Prince of Wales Hospital. The exact date and related arrangement will be announced in due course.
As regards postnatal services, for women who have given birth vaginally or by caesarean section without complications, the HA provides pain relief management, wound care (where necessary) and maternal and infant care before discharge, as well as support to enhance the mothers' skills in caring for their babies. After discharge, they are referred to the MCHCs for postnatal follow-up. The MCHCs provide postnatal women with health assessments, physical examinations, individual counselling and health advice. The MCHCs also provide free health promotion and disease prevention services for infants and young children from birth to five years of age, including immunisation services, the Health and Developmental Surveillance Scheme, and parenting education on childcare. For pregnancies with complications, the HA will arrange for the postnatal care in hospital and provides follow-up services or treatment according to the specific needs of the women. The majority of locally born babies and their mothers receive services from the MCHCs within the first few days after discharge.
In addition, the Government has been committed to promoting breastfeeding. 20 MCHCs have been accredited as Baby-Friendly Maternal and Child Health Centres, where trained healthcare staff provide postnatal women with information on breastfeeding, assess breastfeeding skills, offer appropriate advice and assistance in managing breastfeeding problems, with a view to fully encouraging and supporting breastfeeding. The remaining nine MCHCs are expected to complete accreditation within 2026-27. Furthermore, the MCHCs also provide support and encouragement to breastfeeding mothers in need through a peer support programme, in the form of mothers helping mothers.
In support of the Government's policy of encouraging and promoting healthy fertility, the PHC Commission launched free pre-pregnancy, antenatal and postnatal classes at the three Women Wellness Satellites and the Central and Western DHC in May 2026, where multi-disciplinary healthcare teams comprising doctors, dietitians and physiotherapists and others share various resources, care information and nutrition advice on the pre-pregnancy, antenatal and postnatal periods, so as to help women maintain a healthy lifestyle. These free classes will be extended in phases to all DHCs across the territory within this year.
The DH has also revised the Funding and Service Agreement with the Family Planning Association of Hong Kong (FPAHK) to strengthen services and programmes that promote healthy fertility. The FPAHK has newly introduced Government-subvented pre-pregnancy health services, which include health consultation, dietary and lifestyle advice, health assessment, as well as arrangement of blood tests and other investigations. The FPAHK will also launch publicity within this year to promote healthy fertility.
On information platforms, under the development of eHealth+, the eHealth mobile application is progressively becoming an integrated health management tool for all citizens of Hong Kong. At present, members of the public can access their personal health records and manage public healthcare programmes and services (such as DHCs) through the application. They can also register eHealth for their children through the "My Family" function to manage their children's health, including accessing their children's health records, browsing the parenting information provided by the DH for different developmental stages through the "Child Growth" function, recording their children's growth data, and assessing and monitoring their children's developmental progress.
The Government will explore ways to strengthen support for postnatal mothers and newborn babies, including examining how to leverage the district health network's role as a community hub for health information and services in order to provide more proactive support and follow-up services for women planning pregnancy and postnatal women, and, in conjunction with the development of eHealth+, exploring the feasibility of further integrating information on pre-pregnancy, pregnancy and postnatal period, so as to provide women with more comprehensive care and information.
Ends/Wednesday, October 7, 2026
Issued at HKT 16:35
Issued at HKT 16:35
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