Middle-aged and elderly Hongkongers will start benefiting from chronic disease screening scheme at private clinics in mid-November
- Residents aged above 45 with no history of diabetes or hypertension can be screened at subsidised rates from mid-November, under bid to ease strain on public system
- More than 200 family doctors have signed up to scheme to date, with authorities offering incentives to patients and medical professionals for treatment goals
Middle-aged and elderly Hongkongers will start to benefit from a pilot subsidy scheme for chronic disease screenings at private clinics in mid-November, with authorities hoping 200,000 people will get checked within three years.
The government on Monday said more than 200 family doctors had so far signed up for the Chronic Disease Co-Care Pilot Scheme, which would also offer incentives to patients and doctors to meet treatment goals.
The scheme aimed to ease the burden on the strained public healthcare system and Deputy Secretary for Health Eddie Lee Lik-kong stressed the importance of prevention in battling chronic diseases.
“We hope that with this government subsidy, people who were previously not motivated to get screened will come forward, and we can achieve the goals of early detection and early treatment,” he said.
People aged 45 and over with no medical history of diabetes or hypertension would be able to get screened for the diseases at subsidised rates from mid-November, the Health Bureau said.