Category: MIL-OSI

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

The Hospital Authority (HA) Chairman, Mr Henry Fan, welcomed the healthcare service-related measures included in “The Chief Executive’s 2025 Policy Address” delivered by the Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, today (September 17). The measures will facilitate the sustainable development of public healthcare services and the provision of services that meet patients’ needs.

The HA will fully dovetail with the Government’s policy direction to comprehensively implement various policy measures for public healthcare fees and charges reform. A dedicated team will be established to support patients who need to apply for various medical fee waivers and subsidies. Protection for patients with critical illnesses or emergency conditions will be strengthened, while providing citizens with more service options to address the various challenges that an ageing population brings to the healthcare system. Mr Fan said, “The HA will uphold the principle of increasing protection and reducing waste, ensuring medical care for poor, acute, serious and critical patients, promoting sustainable development of public healthcare services, and further improving the quality of public healthcare services.”

Furthermore, with strong government support, the HA will continue to optimise acute stroke services, including building stroke centres according to national accreditation standards, establishing green channels to reduce the time from hospital admission to treatment for acute stroke patients, improving treatment effectiveness and survival rates. The HA will also gradually advance the establishment of Integrated Cardiovascular Diseases Centres at suitable hospitals according to national accreditation standards, providing one-stop treatment and support services for patients with cardiovascular diseases. Additionally, the HA will establish a dedicated team to adopt strategic procurement approaches, actively introducing suitable new drugs and innovative medical devices to increase treatment options for patients and enhance service quality.

The HA will continue to deepen AI applications, enhance services in diagnostic pathology, and implement measures to improve ophthalmology services. It will also strengthen support for cancer patients, including increasing genetic and genomic testing capabilities, Specialist Out-patient Clinics, radiotherapy, day chemotherapy, and cancer surgery service capacities. Furthermore, the HA will increase the overall bed capacity and operating theatre sessions to further enhance various patient services.

The HA will continue to adhere to the patient-centred principle to enhance the patient experience. A more convenient, comfortable and safe consultation experience will be provided for the elderly, persons with disabilities and pregnant women, to ensure services are delivered with a more human touch.

Mr Fan sincerely thanks the Government for its continuous support of public healthcare services. The HA will co-ordinate with the Government to deepen public healthcare reform work and implement governance reform to enhance the safety, quality, and efficiency of public healthcare services.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

Hong Kong Customs detected two dangerous drugs cases in Tuen Mun and Hong Kong International Airport yesterday (September 16) and today (September 17) respectively, and seized a total of about 1.2 kilograms of suspected crack cocaine, about 39kg of suspected ketamine and three suspected alternative smoking products with a total estimated market value of about $13.4 million. Three persons suspected to be connected with the cases were arrested.
 
In the first case, during an anti-narcotics operation conducted in Tuen Mun yesterday evening, Customs officers intercepted a 51-year-old local man and seized about 1.17kg of suspected crack cocaine inside a paper bag carried by him. The man was subsequently arrested. Customs officers later escorted him to a residential unit nearby for a search and further seized about 30 grams of suspected crack cocaine and a batch of suspected drug manufacturing and packaging paraphernalia. The estimated market value of the drug was about $1.2 million.
 
The second case involved a male passenger and a female passenger, both aged 18, who arrived in Hong Kong from Frankfurt, Germany, today. During customs clearance, Customs officers found a total of about 39kg of suspected ketamine, with an estimated market value of about $12.2 million, from their respective check-in suitcases. Two suspected alternative smoking products and one suspected alternative smoking product was also found in the carry-on baggage of the female passenger and on the male passenger respectively. The two persons were subsequently arrested.
 
The arrested man in the first case has been charged with one count of trafficking in a dangerous drug and one count of manufacture of a dangerous drug, and he will appear at the Tuen Mun Magistrates’ Courts tomorrow (September 18). For the second case, an investigation is still ongoing.
 
Customs will continue to step up enforcement against drug trafficking activities through intelligence analysis. The department also reminds members of the public to stay alert and not to participate in drug trafficking activities for monetary return. They must not accept hiring or delegation from another party to carry controlled items into and out of Hong Kong. They are also reminded not to carry unknown items for other people.
 
Customs will continue to apply a risk assessment approach and focus on selecting passengers from high-risk regions for clearance to combat transnational drug trafficking activities.
 
Under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, trafficking in a dangerous drug is a serious offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $5 million and life imprisonment.
 
Under the Import and Export Ordinance, importing an alternative smoking product is liable to a maximum fine of $2 million and imprisonment for seven years upon conviction.
 
Members of the public may report any suspected drug trafficking activities to Customs’ 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002).

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

The spokesperson for Hong Kong Buddhist Hospital (HKBH) made the following announcement today (September 17):

A 69-year-old male patient in a medicine and geriatrics ward of HKBH was confirmed to carry Candida auris on September 9.  In accordance with the prevailing guidelines, HKBH conducted contact tracing and found two more male patients (aged 86 and 101) in the same ward carrying Candida auris without signs of infection. All three patients are now being treated in isolation, and are in stable condition.

The ward concerned has adopted the following enhanced infection control measures:
 

1. enhanced patient and environmental screening procedures;
2. application of stringent contact precautions and enhanced hand hygiene of staff and patients; and
3. thorough cleaning and disinfection of the ward concerned.

The hospital will continue the enhanced infection control measures and closely monitor the situation of the ward concerned. The cases have been reported to the Hospital Authority Head Office and the Centre for Health Protection for necessary follow up.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The following is issued on behalf of the Judiciary:
 
     Chief Justice Andrew Cheung, Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal, today (September 17) expressed great sadness at the passing of Mr Eric Charles Barnes, GBS, a retired Judge of the High Court, who passed away yesterday.
 
     “Mr Barnes made significant contributions to the work of the courts in his various judicial roles throughout his long and dedicated service. He was a fine judge and a gentleman. He remained closely connected to the Judiciary until very recently,” Chief Justice Cheung said.
 
     Mr Barnes joined the Judiciary as a Magistrate in 1966. He was appointed Senior Magistrate in 1977 and became a District Judge in 1978. In 1981, he was elevated to the High Court Bench, where he served with distinction until his retirement in 1992.
 
     “On behalf of the Judiciary, I would like to extend my deepest condolences to his family,” Chief Justice Cheung added.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

     Following are the remarks by the Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, at the press conference on “The Chief Executive’s 2025 Policy Address” today (September 17):

Reporter: Good afternoon, Mr Lee. Some English questions. Firstly, in your Policy Address, you mentioned that the Government will assist local media to expand their network beyond Hong Kong to tell the good stories of Hong Kong. Could you elaborate on exactly what this means, such as what markets the Government is looking at, or what outlets the Government is trying to assist? Also, what will you do to ensure that the whole initiative will not backfire – the media would then be seen as losing their credibility when they are seen as government mouthpieces? The second question: with the new Heads of Department (HoD) Accountability System, are you worried about that having this new scheme would lead to the exodus of executive officers and administrative officers and worsen this exodus? And also, when do you hope to apply this new Heads of Department Accountability System? Will officers or political appointees that are involved in recent scandal, like the head of the Government Logistics Department, Carlson Chan, also be covered under this new accountability system? Thank you.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

On a mission to support social development, Chief Executive John Lee outlined in his 2025 Policy Address a series of critical initiatives on promoting fertility, supporting ethnic minorities, as well as measures for enhancing care team services and building management.

Promoting fertility

The Chief Executive noted that the number of newborn babies has decreased for six consecutive years since 2017, but there was an upward trend in 2023 and 2024.

“In 2024, there was a significant increase in the number of newborns, a year-on-year increase of about 3,500 babies, or about 11%, adding up to 36,700 babies born in total.”

To further promote newborns, Mr Lee set out the following initiatives in the 2025 Policy Address:

(i) Extending the claim period of additional child allowance for newborns from one year to two years – starting from the year of assessment 2026-27, a taxpayer may claim twice the allowance, ie $260,000, for each child in the first two years following childbirth;

(ii) Enhancing infant and child day care service – 15 new aided child care centres will be set up over the next three years to provide about 1,500 day care service places for children between birth and three years old, almost doubling the existing supply;

(iii) Enhancing the School-based After School Care Service Scheme within this school year by removing the cap on the number of places;

(iv) Setting up dedicated counters for pregnant women to facilitate their waiting for medical services;

(v) Supporting assisted reproductive services – the Council on Human Reproductive Technology has made amendments to the legislation, removing the statutory storage periods of gametes and embryos for own use. Such amendments will take effect this December. Moreover, the Hospital Authority will increase the service quota for assisted reproductive service to 1,500 treatment cycles in 2025-26; and

(vi) Fostering a family‑friendly culture – the Government will encourage more employers, through the Good Employer Charter, to adopt family-friendly employment practices such as flexible working hours.

Separately, the Government will increase the annual funding of the Women Empowerment Fund from $20 million to $30 million to subsidise women’s organisations and non-governmental organisations launching projects that promote women’s development.

Support for ethnic minorities (EM)

Mr Lee announced that the Home Affairs Department will set up one additional EM Care Team under the Support Service Centres, serving the North and Islands Districts. The department will also establish a Youth Network and a Women’s Network at the 10 Support Service Centres for EMs to organise activities specifically for EM youth and women. Furthermore, an additional Interpretation & Translation Service Centre for EMs will be set up in December.

On top of that, the Health Bureau will take forward the pilot project of providing emotional support and counselling services for EMs through a service centre.

Support for non-Chinese speaking students

It is proposed in the Policy Address that the Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi Chinese Proficiency Test learning materials, tailored for non-Chinese speaking students, be extended from the upper primary level to the junior secondary level in the 2026-27 school year.

Working Group on Ageing Society Strategies

Pointing out that ageing is a global issue, the Chief Executive announced that the Government will set up a Working Group on Ageing Society Strategies, under the steer of the Deputy Chief Secretary, to co-ordinate the efforts of various bureaus in formulating the strategy responses. 

Mr Lee elaborated: “Aside from covering areas such as elderly care, healthcare, housing, culture and leisure, and gerontechnology, the working group will consider promoting the further development of silver economy.

“The working group will take into account the views of the Elderly Commission, and submit a report next year.”

Protecting children, supporting students

Mr Lee highlighted in the Policy Address that the Government will set up an Integrated Family Service Centre in Kwu Tung North New Development Area in the Northern Metropolis to support families and children in the area. In addition, the Government will support and educate divorced or separated parents to collaborate in shouldering continuous and joint parental responsibilities in raising their children.

The Government also plans to offer transitional support to young people who no longer receive residential child‑care services but lack family support.

For children with special needs receiving On-site Pre-school Rehabilitation Services, the Government will provide bridging and support services during their first term in primary school.

Care team services

Noting that District Services & Community Care Teams will soon begin their second term of service, Mr Lee said the Government has increased the subsidy by 50%, and provided such voluntary care teams with additional administrative support, including hiring administrative staff.

Building management

To improve building management, the Chief Executive outlined that the Home Affairs Department will implement a number of measures, including establishing working groups under District Councils to share experience, expanding the Pilot Scheme on Joint Property Management to other districts, and reviewing the Building Management Ordinance.

Additionally, the Government will enhance the inspection and testing procedures for handling water seepage problems by utilising technology to expedite the identification of the seepage situation and delineate the responsibility, requiring owners to inspect and rectify within a specified time, or else the Government will take further action and recover costs from owners.

“This will prompt owners to fulfil their obligations in properly maintaining their properties,” he explained.

“We will also actively promote mediation to resolve disputes between residents. An Internet of Things fire detection system will also be introduced in old buildings to replace traditional fire service installations and equipment,” the Chief Executive added.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Chief Executive John Lee said today that the Government will take various measures, including strengthening primary healthcare services, in order to address the challenges brought by an ageing society.

While outlining such measures as he delivered his fourth Policy Address today, Mr Lee stressed that the Government will deepen the healthcare system reform, enhancing its sustainability, strengthening primary healthcare and increasing healthcare manpower, while promoting health and medical innovation and encouraging collaboration within the Greater Bay Area (GBA).

Specifically, the Hospital Authority (HA) will uphold the safety-first principle in delivering services, and advance the reform of governance and accountability; and establish dedicated teams and upgrade the electronic systems to process applications for medical fee waivers to help patients in need.

The charges and positioning of non-subsidised services will also be reviewed to offer more service options to members of the public who can afford more. 

To enhance existing public healthcare services, Mr Lee noted that the HA will establish, in phases, Stroke Centres and Integrated Cardiovascular Diseases Centres in accordance with national accreditation standards to improve treatment effectiveness.

It will also shorten waiting time by 10% or about 10 weeks, for stable new case bookings in the surgery specialty, and enhance ophthalmic services by strengthening training for professional personnel.

The authority will improve such services by strengthening training for professional personnel, introducing innovative medications and setting up a new high-capacity ambulatory cataract surgery centre.

The Hospital Accreditation Programme will be extended to cover a major acute hospital in each public hospital cluster, while contributing to the internationalisation of national hospital accreditation standards.

Other enhancements involve comprehensively upgrading the “Degenerative Knee Joint Management Programme” to promote early prevention and avoid progression to late-stage conditions that require surgical treatment.

On strengthening primary healthcare services, Mr Lee said the Government will introduce a bill within next year for the empowerment of the Primary Healthcare Commission, devising citywide standards for primary healthcare services, and developing multidisciplinary service networks.

Additionally, the Government plans to enhance the HA’s Family Medicine Outpatient preventive screening and care services, increase their service capacity, and regularise their current extended service hours progressively.

To enhance the management of chronic diseases, the Government will launch the Chronic Disease Co-care Platform on a pilot basis to conduct hepatitis B screening and promote the community drug formulary and community pharmacy programme.

It will also prepare to integrate the services of Elderly Health Centres into the district health network in phases, and expand the services of three District Health Centre Expresses, in order to expedite the establishment of District Health Centres (DHCs) across all 18 districts in the city.

In addition, the Government will bolster public and subsidised dental services by enhancing oral health education, oral hygiene instructions and risk assessments in the community through DHCs and non-governmental organisations.

To consolidate Hong Kong’s leading position in cancer research, prevention and control, and optimise services for cancer patients, the Government will collaborate with the National Cancer Center, and support the hosting of the World Cancer Congress 2026 in Hong Kong.

As part of that goal, Mr Lee explained that the Government will enhance cervical cancer screening services and expand the Pilot Scheme on Human Papillomavirus Testing of Self-collected Samples, from the Department of Health’s (DH) Maternal & Child Health Centres to the district health network.

The Government will commission local universities to explore the use of Artificial Intelligence-aided lung cancer screening, and enhance treatment efficacy and reduce side effects by expanding genetic and related testing services.

Furthermore, it will leverage cancer data and biological resources to advance oncology research, accelerate the development and translation of anticancer drugs and related innovative therapies, speed up the evaluation and approval of innovative anticancer drugs under the “1+” mechanism, and evaluate and introduce such drugs into the HA Drug Formulary.

In addition, the Government will increase the HA’s capacity of services and acquire additional medical equipment.

Regarding the development of Chinese medicine, Mr Lee noted that the Chinese Medicine Hospital of Hong Kong and the permanent premises of the Government Chinese Medicines Testing Institute will begin operation in phases from December this year. 

The Chinese Medicine Development Blueprint, scheduled to be published by the end of this year, will cover establishing a governance framework and service system, leveraging strengths and advancing Integrated Chinese Western Medicine services, promoting scientific research and innovation, cultural heritage and more.

The Government will strengthen the DH’s functions in regulating healthcare facilities and healthcare professionals.

It will consult the Legislative Council (LegCo) in the first half of next year on the implementation of the Private Healthcare Facilities Ordinance to prohibit unauthorised premises from using certain titles or descriptions. It will also step up law enforcement against unlicensed persons.

On promoting mental health, the Government will roll out measures covering prevention, identification, intervention and treatment.

Among such measures, the Government will regularise the three-tier emergency mechanism in secondary schools and extend it on a trial basis to Primary 4 to 6 students to strengthen support for those in need; and launch the Pilot Programme on Training for Mental Health Promotion Ambassador.

Moreover, the Government will complete the formulation of the stepped care model on mental health by the end of this year. Mr Lee pointed out that this model aims to set out the roles of mental health professionals and stakeholders as well as their division of work in mental health services, enhance training to raise professionals’ awareness of making referrals, and establish the referral mechanism.

Concerning nurturing a green and low carbon living environment, the Government will continue to optimise the service hours and locations of GREEN@COMMUNITY facilities, and support recycling initiatives in residential buildings.

It will also keep promoting waste separation in public rental housing estates, and work towards the goal of “one bin per block” in these estates.

I·PARK1 will progressively begin operation by the end of this year. To expand the city’s waste-to-energy capacity, the Government plans to seek funding approval from LegCo next year for constructing I·PARK2.

On top of that, the Chief Executive highlighted that Hong Kong will take part in developing the GBA into an international, first-class beautiful bay area, with Victoria Harbour as the core for development together with Mirs Bay and Port Shelter.

The Government will also take forward measures on the prevention and control of nearshore pollution, co-ordinated protection of ecosystems and shoreline remediation, he added.