Month: June 2025

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Secretary for Transport & Logistics Mable Chan, leading a Hong Kong Logistics Development Council delegation, started a visit to Chengdu and Chongqing today.

The trip aims to promote Hong Kong’s strengths in logistics, foster industry exchanges, and explore collaboration opportunities in logistics and shipping.

Upon arrival in Chengdu, the delegation visited Chengdu Tianfu International Airport’s international cargo terminal to view the operations of an express cargo centre which commenced operation late last year, in order to understand its procedures for handling goods of cross-border e-commerce platforms.

The delegation later met Sichuan Port & Logistics Office Director Xie Wei to explore the potential in Hong Kong-Sichuan logistics collaboration.

The delegates were also briefed by representatives of the Sichuan Port & Shipping Investment Group on its work on constructing “logistics and trade ports”, “hub ports”, “industrial ports”, “digital intelligence ports” as well as “financial ports”.

In the evening, the delegation called on Sichuan’s Hong Kong & Macao Affairs Office Director Zhang Tao to exchange views on facilitating exchanges and collaborations between Hong Kong and Sichuan in logistics and transport.

Noting that Sichuan plays a leading role in the development of China’s western region, Ms Chan said: “Hong Kong has been attaching great importance to its economic and trade ties with Sichuan. I believe there is further room for more complementarity and collaboration in shipping and logistics between Hong Kong and Sichuan.”

The Chengdu-Shenzhen-Hong Kong scheduled rail-sea service was launched last week, enabling goods from Chengdu to reach Hong Kong via Shenzhen in as short as three days. Ms Chan said she believes Hong Kong and Sichuan can create an efficient and quality logistics corridor through strengthening logistics co-operation to facilitate the export of Sichuan’s goods to overseas markets.

The delegation departed for Chongqing this evening and will continue the visit tomorrow.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Secretary for Innovation, Technology & Industry Prof Sun Dong learned about the operations of China FAW Group Corporation (FAW Group) yesterday and today during a visit to Changchun, Jilin.

Upon arriving in the city yesterday afternoon, Prof Sun held an engagement session with the management of the automobile manufacturer.

He was briefed on the group’s enhanced innovation capabilities, core technology research endeavours, and its development of its own brands. 

Today, Prof Sun visited the China FAW NBD Headquarters’ research and development institute, the group’s “prosperity factory” and its Cultural Exhibition Hall.

He learned about technological breakthroughs spanning new energy vehicle models, advanced manufacturing technologies and processes, and autonomous driving systems, in relation to the group’s Hongqi brand.

Prof Sun also learned about the FAW Group’s innovative achievements as a state-owned mega automobile enterprise and a leading corporation in China’s automobile industry.

Prof Sun outlined that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government’s Hong Kong Innovation & Technology Development Blueprint identifies advanced manufacturing, new energy and new industrialisation as key strategic priorities.

“Under the ‘one country, two systems’ principle, Hong Kong has the unique advantages of enjoying the strong support of the country and being closely connected to the world. It is a two-way gateway for attracting overseas enterprises to Hong Kong and helping Mainland enterprises go global, as well as an ideal platform for Mainland enterprises to venture overseas markets.”

The technology chief said he looked forward to Hong Kong making new contributions to the innovative development of the country’s new energy automobile industry chain.

Prof Sun also highlighted that the 2025 International Automotive Supply Chain Expo (Hong Kong) will be held at AsiaWorld-Expo from June 12 to 15.

He said the Innovation, Technology & Industry Bureau, as the expo’s advising organisation, believes Hong Kong can serve as an exchange platform for the global automobile industry’s supply chain.

Moreover, it hopes the expo will promote new industrialisation in Hong Kong, while showcasing cutting-edge technologies and the latest achievements of the Mainland’s new energy automobile industry.

Commissioner for Industry (Innovation & Technology) Ge Ming was also part of the visit.

Prof Sun returned to Hong Kong this afternoon.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Following is a question by the Hon Michael Tien and a written reply by the Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chungmau, in the Legislative Council today (June 4): Question: It has been reported that in the middle of last year, a malfunction of the airconditioning system in the operating theatres of the main block of St. Teresa’s Hospital (the Hospital) in Kowloon lasted approximately 45 minutes, affecting a total of 12 operations. Some doctors and patients subsequently complained with the Department of Health (DH), which concluded its investigation in March of this year. DH stated that the Hospital had not breached the requirements. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council: (1) as it has been reported that a doctor indicated that at the time of the incident, he felt that airflow in the operating theatre had stopped, that condensation water had caused the operating lamp to drip, and that the endoscope lens and connecting components were suspected to be dampened. The Hospital once denied that the situation aforesaid had occurred in its operating theatres, but after the media reported the aforesaid incident, the Hospital changed its version of the incident several times. During the investigation conducted at the Hospital by DH, whether DH inspected the operating theatres in question (e.g. by conducting environmental simulations or taking samples in the operating theatres) and found out why the Hospital had changed 04/06/2025, 12:11 LCQ17: Incident of malfunction of air-conditioning system in private hospital https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202506/04/P2025060400277p.htm 1/7 its statement several times; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; (2) as DH has indicated that airconditioning interruption is not a reportable event of private hospitals and there was no breach of the requirements of the Private Healthcare Facilities Ordinance (Cap. 633) (the Ordinance) and the Code of Practice for Private Hospitals (the CoP) was found by the investigation, whether DH will review the Ordinance and the CoP in due course, following the occurrence of the aforesaid incident, to safeguard the level of medical safety in private healthcare facilities and enhance transparency in incident handling; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and (3) as it has been reported that the patient concerned has indicated that the Hospital has not yet explained the aforesaid incident to her, whether the authorities have put in place a mechanism to require private hospitals to follow up with patients concerned and find out more about their situation; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that? Reply: President, In consultation with the Department of Health (DH), the reply to the various parts of the question raised by the Hon Michael Tien is as follows: (1) and (2) The DH currently regulates private hospitals in accordance with the Private Healthcare Facilities Ordinance (Cap. 633) (Ordinance). The primary objective is to ensure that premises providing medical services can meet the stipulated facility and safety standards. In accordance with the Ordinance, the Government established the Advisory 04/06/2025, 12:11 LCQ17: Incident of malfunction of air-conditioning system in private hospital https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202506/04/P2025060400277p.htm 2/7 Committee for Regulatory Standards for Private Healthcare Facilities (Advisory Committee), which comprises representatives from the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine and its constituent colleges, the Hospital Authority, the academia, as well as associations of private hospitals, medical practitioners and dentists. The terms of reference of the Advisory Committee include devising, reviewing and updating the standards of regulation for private healthcare facilities (PHFs), as well as making recommendations on the codes of practice for PHFs issued by the Director of Health (DoH). The Code of Practice for Private Hospitals (CoP), which is issued by the DoH in accordance with the Ordinance and updated from time to time, sets out the licensing and operating standards for private hospitals, including related requirements for hospital facilities and equipment. The current CoP stipulates that fittings and equipment of hospitals must be maintained in good operational order, and requires hospitals to have contingency plans for emergencies (e.g. fire outbreak, cessation of water and electricity supply). It also stipulates that healthcare engineering systems (i.e. electrical installations, specialised ventilation systems and medical gas supplies) must be properly maintained to meet service needs and ensure patient safety. Reportable events for private hospitals are also set out therein. Regarding the incident in Member’s question, the DH was notified by a doctor on September 2, 2024, about an air-conditioning interruption which happened in the operating theatres on the second floor of St. Teresa’s Hospital in the evening of July 31, 2024. Although air-conditioning interruption is not a reportable event for private hospitals under the current CoP, the DH 04/06/2025, 12:11 LCQ17: Incident of malfunction of air-conditioning system in private hospital https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202506/04/P2025060400277p.htm 3/7 considered that the incident might involve potential patient safety concerns and therefore promptly initiated an investigation on the same day the notification was received (September 2, 2024). This included sending staff to conduct an inspection at the hospital concerned, checking relevant documents of the hospital, evaluating the effectiveness of its contingency measures, assessing the environmental condition of the operating theatres during the air-conditioning interruption and following up on the remedial actions. According to the investigation, the incident involved a malfunction of the airconditioning system used to regulate room temperature which lasted about one hour. During the time, a total of 10 surgeries were being performed in various operating theatres. The hospital explained to the DH that dehumidifiers were immediately deployed in the operating theatres where higher risk surgeries were being performed, including the one where the doctor was performing an operation. Upon the DH’s enquiry, hospital staff and the nurses on site stated that the severity of condensation in the operating theatres did not result in water dripping onto the surgical site of patients. The hospital did not change its statement to the DH during the course of investigation. As for media reports suggesting that “the hospital had changed its statement several times”, the DH will not offer any comment. The DH also examined the hospital’s records and noted that the ventilation system used for infection control in the operating theatres (including air filtration equipment, hourly air change rate and a positive pressure environment) was operating normally during the incident, and all surgeries had been completed according to the original schedule. After the incident, the hospital made a prompt follow-up by 04/06/2025, 12:11 LCQ17: Incident of malfunction of air-conditioning system in private hospital https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202506/04/P2025060400277p.htm 4/7 conducting air sampling of the operating theatres and surveillance on conditions of patients who underwent surgeries during the affected period for infection. No abnormality was detected. Based on the available relevant evidence gathered on the incident, the DH considered that the hospital had taken appropriate contingency measures in response to the emergencies, and there was insufficient evidence to show that the hospital had contravened the requirements of the Ordinance or the CoP. Nevertheless, the DH will continue to closely monitor the licensed hospital. If there is new and concrete evidence, the DH will take appropriate follow-up actions as necessary. At the same time, the DH will continue to regularly evaluate and update the regulatory standards for PHFs with the experts of the Advisory Committee, and review the CoP in accordance with the established mechanism so as to better protect public interests. (3) The Ordinance established a two-tier complaints management system for handling public complaints against PHFs. Regarding the first tier, the Ordinance states that the licensee of a PHF must put in place a complaints handling procedure for receiving, managing and responding to public complaints against the PHF in the capacity of a service provider. Under the Ordinance, the licensee must ensure the complaints handling procedure is made known in an appropriate way to the patients or persons acting on their behalf. Upon receiving a complaint, the licensee must ensure that (a) an investigation of the complaint is conducted and findings are made; (b) if the case requires, an improvement measure is implemented; and (c) the complainant is informed of the findings of the investigation and any improvement measure and, if the case requires, of any 04/06/2025, 12:11 LCQ17: Incident of malfunction of air-conditioning system in private hospital https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202506/04/P2025060400277p.htm 5/7 follow-up action taken/to be taken. As for the second tier of the system, the Government established the Committee on Complaints Against Private Healthcare Facilities (Complaints Committee) under the Ordinance in 2020, with the DH serving as the Secretariat. Apart from registered medical practitioners/dentists, its current members also include persons of varied backgrounds such as representatives from other healthcare professions, patients’ groups, the legal sector, the engineering sector and the consumer-interest body. Complainants who are not satisfied with the handling or reply of the PHF concerned may lodge a further complaint with the Complaints Committee. The Complaints Committee has put in place a statutory mechanism to receive and handle complaints against licensed PHFs from the public, and will consider whether the PHFs have complied with the Ordinance and the relevant codes of practice. Pursuant to the Ordinance, the Complaints Committee may make recommendations on the issue of complaint (e.g. whether any regulatory action against the PHF concerned should be taken) to the DoH or improvement measures to the PHF concerned. In addition, the Complaints Committee shall inform the complainant in writing of its decision and any action taken/to be taken in relation to the PHF according to the recommendations approved by the Complaints Committee. As for the complaint status of the patient concerned, it is observed that the allegation of the patient received no response despite having made four complaint calls to the DH as suggested by media reports does not actually align with the DH’s records. Existing records reveal that the Complaints Committee received a call on September 12, 2024, from a member of the public, who enquired about the procedure for 04/06/2025, 12:11 LCQ17: Incident of malfunction of air-conditioning system in private hospital https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202506/04/P2025060400277p.htm 6/7 lodging a complaint against a PHF and mentioned having encountered a malfunction of the air-conditioning system of St. Teresa’s Hospital in the course of surgery. The Secretariat of the Complaints Committee has already explained to the enquirer the function of the Complaints Committee immediately, as well as the statutory procedures for lodging a complaint to the Complaints Committee. In addition, at the request of the enquirer, the Secretariat sent information on the complaint procedures, the complaint form and the statutory declaration form to the email address provided by the enquirer on the following day (September 13, 2024), with the enquirer confirmed receipt of the materials by email on the same day. After that, the Complaints Committee did not receive any complaint from the enquirer in relation to the incident. The Complaints Committee will continue to handle every complaint in a professional and impartial manner, endeavouring to bring forth service improvement of PHFs and safeguard patient safety. Ends/Wednesday, June

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Following is a question by Reverend Canon the Hon Peter Douglas Koon and a written reply by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Chris Sun, in the Legislative Council today (June 4):

Question:

Regarding the Protection of Wages on Insolvency Fund (PWIF), will the Government inform this Council:

(1) of the number of approved applications under the PWIF and their percentage in the total number of bankruptcy cases over the past five years;

(2) of the total amount of ex gratia payment released under the PWIF, the accumulated surplus of PWIF and the average amount approved per application in each of the past five years;

(3) given that the PWIF implemented enhancement measures in June 2022, which included engagement of private law firms to assist applicants in filing winding-up/bankruptcy petitions against the employers, and setting up of an in-house legal team to make recommendations direct to the Labour Department (LD) in respect of applications under section 18 of the Protection of Wages on Insolvency Ordinance (Cap. 380), of the respective number of (a) cases referred to law firms for follow-up actions (broken down into (i) cases with assistance rendered to applicants in filing winding-up/bankruptcy petitions against employers and (ii) cases not requiring the filing of winding-up/bankruptcy petitions against employers), and (b) cases received by the in-house legal team (broken down into (i) cases with recommendations made to the LD in accordance with Cap. 380 and (ii) cases not requiring the making of recommendations), since the implementation of the said enhancement measures;

(4) given that the Government has established an interdepartmental task force to strengthen co-operation in combating illegal activities relating to PWIF abuse, in respect of fraud and other illegal acts involving the PWIF in the past five years, of (i) the number of employers, company directors, responsible individuals and employees prosecuted by the government departments concerned, and (ii) the number of successful applications made by the government departments concerned to the court for disqualifying responsible individuals of companies from being directors and taking part in the formation or management of a company;

(5) whether it will consider increasing the penalties for PWIF abuse by legislative amendments so as enhance deterrence; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

(6) given that the Government indicated in the paper submitted to the Panel on Manpower of this Council on March 25 last year that it would review the coverage of ex gratia payment in respect of severance payment under PWIF to explore the room for further increasing the payment ceiling in order to enhance its fully covered rate, of the progress made in this regard, and whether the Government will consider extending the coverage of the PWIF to include mandatory contributions to the Mandatory Provident Fund defaulted by employers; whether it will consider establishing a mechanism to review the PWIF regularly; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

(7) given that starting from April 1 last year, the Government waives the business registration levy of $150 payable to the PWIF for two years, whether the Government will consider, on the premise of not affecting the PWIF’s operation, further reducing and/or waiving such levy in the light of the slowdown in economic growth; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Reply:

President,

Established under the Protection of Wages on Insolvency Ordinance (PWIO), the Protection of Wages on Insolvency Fund (PWIF) aims to provide timely financial relief in the form of ex gratia payment to employees in the event of business closure of their insolvent employers. The affected employees may apply for ex gratia payment from the PWIF in respect of arrears in wages, pay for untaken annual leave, pay for untaken statutory holidays, wages in lieu of notice and/or severance payments (SP) owed by their employers.

In response to the Member’s question, the reply is provided below:

(1) From 2020 to 2024, the number of approved applications under the PWIF in each year is at Annex 1. The Labour Department (LD) does not keep the total number of winding-up/bankruptcy cases.

(2) From 2020 to 2024, the total amount of ex gratia payment released under the PWIF, the average amount of ex gratia payment released per application approved and the accumulated surplus in each year are at Annex 2.

(3) Since November 2022, the PWIF has launched enhancement measures including appointing law firms to provide free legal service to applicants to assist them in filing winding-up or bankruptcy petitions against their employers for cases under section 16 of the PWIO, so as to save them from applying for legal aid at the Legal Aid Department (LAD) and undergoing the means test to expedite the processing of applications. In addition, the PWIF has set up an internal legal team to provide the LD with recommendations on applications involving section 18 of the PWIO in place of recommendations from the LAD.

As at April 2025, the PWIF had referred 569 cases to the appointed law firms for follow-up, while the in-house legal team had received 1 116 cases. The breakdown of the number of cases referred to the law firms for follow-up by cases with assistance rendered to applicants in filing winding-up/bankruptcy petitions against their employers and cases not requiring the filing of winding-up/bankruptcy petitions against employers, and the breakdown of the number of cases received by the in-house legal team by cases with recommendations made to the LD under section 18 of the PWIO and cases not requiring the making of recommendations are at Annex 3.

(4) and (5) The Government takes a serious view on suspected abuse of PWIF by employers, and has set up an inter-departmental Task Force comprising representatives from the LD, the Commercial Crime Bureau of the Hong Kong Police Force (the Police) and the Official Receiver’s Office (ORO) to strengthen proactive investigation of suspicious cases.

The LD rigorously verifies and closely monitors every application to the PWIF, and pays attention to whether the company responsible persons are involved in any other unlawful acts while operating the business and managing the finance of the company. If it is found that the company responsible persons are suspected of illegal transfer of assets, theft of company money, evasion of liabilities by deception, failure to keep proper accounting records, etc, the LD will refer such cases to the Police and/or the ORO for follow-up. When there is sufficient evidence, the law enforcement agencies will take out prosecution in accordance with the legislation such as the Theft Ordinance and the Crimes Ordinance. Upon conviction, the maximum penalty is imprisonment for 14 years (for example, in the case of fraud). Besides, as stipulated under the PWIO, any person who, in providing information in respect of a PWIF application, makes any statement which he knows to be false, or recklessly makes a false statement, or produces any false documents or records with the intent to deceive, may be prosecuted. Upon conviction, the maximum penalty is a fine of $50,000 and imprisonment for three months.

From 2020 to 2024, the LD referred five cases involving suspected abuse of the PWIF to the Police. No substantiated case of abusing the PWIF was detected during the period. Upon referrals from the LD, the ORO during the same period disqualified through the court a total of 15 company directors and/or responsible persons from assuming a director of a company and from taking part in the promotion, formation or management of a company.

(6) The Protection of Wages on Insolvency Fund Board (PWIF Board) and the LD review the coverage of the PWIF from time to time taking into account the socio-economic development and needs, with a view to improving the protection for employees affected by business closure of their insolvent employers in a reasonably practicable manner.

Upon the passage of a resolution of the Legislative Council under the PWIO on March 20, 2025, the maximum amount of ex gratia payment on SP under the PWIF was increased from $100,000 plus 50 per cent of excess entitlement to $200,000 plus 50 per cent of excess entitlement to further improve the protection for employees. The new maximum amount came into effect on March 21, 2025, upon gazettal of the resolution.

The PWIF releases payment in the form of ex gratia payment to employees who are owed wages and major sums payable upon termination of employment contracts in accordance with the Employment Ordinance. On the other hand, the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Ordinance aims to assist employees in accumulating the Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) to enhance retirement protection. As the policy objectives of the PWIF and the MPF are different, the Government has no plan to expand the scope of the PWIF to cover the defaulted MPF mandatory contributions of employers.

(7) The PWIF is mainly financed by a levy per annum on business registration. From June 17, 2022, the levy is reduced from $250 to $150 a year. In the 2024-25 Budget, the Financial Secretary announced to increase the business registration fee by $200 to $2,200 with effect from April 1, 2024. To relieve the relevant impact on enterprises, the Government waived the levy of $150 payable to the PWIF with effect from the same date for two years until March 31, 2026. The PWIF will resume the collection of the levy from April 1, 2026.

Considering the implementation of the abolition of MPF offsetting arrangement will result in additional expenditure for the ex gratia payment on SP, the PWIF Board will continue to closely monitor the financial position of the PWIF to ensure that the PWIF maintains a stable income and a reasonable accumulated surplus to meet the additional expenditure arising from economic downturns and to sustain its continuous operation. The Government has no plan to adjust the levy at this stage.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Following is a question by Professor the Hon Chan Wing-kwong and a written reply by the Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, in the Legislative Council today (June 4):

Question:

It has been reported that on March 20 this year, a woman had to be sent to hospital for treatment as she got burnt while receiving cupping service at a blind massage parlour in Sham Shui Po. It has also been learnt that at present quite a number of premises in the market providing beauty, hairdressing, massage, foot spa, wellness and health services (such premises) openly boast that they can provide customers with such services as tuina, bone-setting, pain relief, moxibustion, cupping and scraping. Regarding the regulation of premises providing Chinese-style wellness and health services, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) of the number of complaints received by the authorities in relation to such premises and the follow-up situation in each of the past five years; among them, of the number of cases involving unlicensed medical practice, and the respective numbers of persons prosecuted and convicted;

(2) of the measures taken by the authorities to regulate such premises; whether they have taken the initiative to inspect such premises in prevention of illegal medical practices at such premises; if so, of the number of inspections carried out by the authorities and the result in each of the past three years; and

(3) whether the authorities will step up promotion and education efforts to prevent members of the public from inadvertently falling into the trap of illegal medical practice at such premises; if so, of the details?

Reply:

President,

In consultation with the Security Bureau, I provide a consolidated reply to the question raised by Professor the Hon Chan Wing-kwong as follows:

In order to safeguard public health and safety, a statutory regulatory system is in place for healthcare professions in Hong Kong. At present, there are 13 healthcare professions (Note) which are subject to statutory registration in order to practise in Hong Kong so as to ascertain that their qualifications are up to standards, and that their professional conducts are regulated by relevant statutory boards and councils. Any person who practises as these healthcare professions or uses these healthcare profession titles without registration may violate relevant laws.

As mentioned in the question regarding services such as tui-na, bone manipulating, pain management, moxibustion, cupping and gua-sha, premises providing relevant services in the community can be broadly classified into two categories:

(1) involving healthcare services which should be provided by the 13 healthcare professions under statutory registration or enrolment to provide services in accordance with their respective scope of practice, such as prescription of drugs, performance of medical procedures (for example, Chinese medicine treatment, physiotherapy or surgery); and

(2) not providing healthcare services concerning the practice of healthcare professionals, such as solely providing services of massage, foot bathing, beauty or hairdressing.

Statutory regulation of relevant healthcare facilities and/or healthcare professions

As the services provided by premises under the first category mentioned above are healthcare services, hence these services should be subject to statutory regulation targeting relevant healthcare facilities and/or healthcare professions. As regards services commonly known as “bone manipulating” and “pain management”, they may be similar to the nature of treatments provided by Chinese medicine practitioners, physiotherapists and chiropractors under their respective scope of practice. Depending on the actual services performed, relevant legislation would come into play when healthcare services which must be provided by registered healthcare professionals are involved. This serves to prevent non-professionals from performing such acts so as to safeguard public health.

The provision of a service will be considered as practising Chinese medicine if it involves the performance of any act or activities on the basis of traditional Chinese medicine in general practice, acupuncture or bone-setting as stipulated in the Chinese Medicine Ordinance (Cap. 549). Any person who is neither a registered nor listed Chinese medicine practitioner providing such service commits an offence and is liable to a fine at level 6 and imprisonment for three years. By the same token, any person who practises the profession of a physiotherapist as stipulated in the Supplementary Medical Professions Ordinance (Cap. 359) without registration commits an offence and is liable to a fine at level 2 and imprisonment for six months; whereas any person who is not listed in the register of registered chiropractors under the Chiropractors Registration Ordinance (Cap. 428) but practises chiropractic as defined in the Code of Practice by the Chiropractors Council commits an offence and is liable to a fine at level 5 and imprisonment for one year.

Members of the public who suspect that someone is practising without registration and/or unlawfully using the title of a registered healthcare professional should report to the Police. The Department of Health (DH) and the statutory boards and councils of relevant healthcare professions will provide professional support to the Police as appropriate. Records concerning number of cases upon conclusion of prosecution process in relation to section 28 of the Medical Registration Ordinance (Cap. 161) and section 108 of the Chinese Medicine Ordinance (Cap. 549) during the period from 2020 to 2024 are tabulated in the Annex.

Since 2018, the Private Healthcare Facilities Ordinance (PHFO) (Cap. 633) has regulated premises where registered medical practitioners and/or dentists practise. Operators are required to obtain a licence or a letter of exemption in order to operate the relevant private healthcare facilities. The existing law specifically covers premises of these two healthcare professions as their daily operation may very likely involve high-risk aspects such as blood management. It is therefore necessary to put in place the most stringent regulatory system under a risk-based principle in addition to the specific legislations regulating these two healthcare professions.  As of April 30, 2025, there are 14 licensed private hospitals and 259 licensed day procedure centres in Hong Kong. The Government is also implementing the regulatory regime for clinics and small practice clinics (SPCs) under the PHFO, and will begin to accept applications for a clinic licence and requests for a letter of exemption for a SPC from October 13, 2025 onwards.

Regulation of facilities not providing healthcare services

Regarding matters relating to premises under the second category mentioned above which do not involve healthcare services nor practice of healthcare professions, such premises should fulfill the requirements of other relevant legislation. For instance, the Massage Establishments Ordinance (Cap. 266) aims to regulate massage establishments through a licensing regime in order to prevent and combat vice or illegal prostitution activities committed by criminals in these establishments. At present, the requirement for a Massage Establishments Licence does not apply to a number of specified services such as salon, beauty salon and nursing home. The Government does not maintain relevant statistics for such facilities.

To prevent the public from seeking improper treatment of certain conditions regardless of the type of premises which provides such services, the Undesirable Medical Advertisements Ordinance (Cap. 231) prohibits/restricts the publication of advertisements that will likely lead to the use of any medicine, surgical appliance or treatment for the purpose of treating or preventing diseases or conditions specified in Schedules 1 and 2 to the Ordinance. These include any disease of the musculo-skeletal system, including rheumatism, arthritis and sciatica. The DH has put in place an established mechanism for screening advertisements. Appropriate actions will be taken in accordance with the law against any contravention of the Undesirable Medical Advertisements Ordinance.

The Government urges members of the public not to casually believe the claims of being able to offer so-called “treatment” from random persons who are not registered or accredited as healthcare professionals. Since the professional qualifications and standards of these persons have not been attested, the safety and effectiveness of the so-called “treatment” cannot be assured. It may even worsen the condition or cause injury. Before receiving healthcare services, members of the public can browse the online registers of the statutory boards and councils of relevant healthcare professions (www.dh.gov.hk/english/main/main_rhp/main_rhp.html) to ascertain the qualifications of service providers. If members of the public have doubts about the qualifications of the healthcare professionals, they can also request the person concerned to provide relevant certification documents in order to better protect their safety. The DH has enhanced public education and publicity, and urges members of the public to check the qualifications of service providers before receiving healthcare services and only to consult healthcare professionals being regulated.

Note: These 13 healthcare professions are medical practitioners, dentists, nurses, Chinese medicine practitioners, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, medical laboratory technologists, optometrists, radiographers, chiropractors, dental hygienists, midwives and pharmacists.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region