The special support scheme for the Hospital Authority’s chronic disease patients living in Guangdong Province will be extended to May 9 next year, the Government announced today.

An additional RMB1,000 subsidy will also be granted to each patient.

Given that the compulsory quarantine measures in both Hong Kong and the Mainland are yet to be relaxed completely under the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government decided to further lengthen the scheme for another six months.

Eligible people may continue to get medical consultation at the University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital (HKU-SZH) before May 9 next year or until the lapse of the quarantine requirement in both Hong Kong and the Mainland, whichever is earlier.

In light of the update, the Government will provide an additional RMB1,000 subsidy on top of the original RMB2,000 subsidy to eligible patients who submit a valid application for the scheme on or before November 9 and have the application subsequently verified. The subsidy cap will hence be increased to RMB3,000.

For those who submit a valid application on or after November 10 and have it verified, the subsidy cap will be RMB1,000 for the six-month extension period.

Patients who have their follow-up appointments at the authority’s specialist outpatient clinics or general outpatient clinics scheduled between February 17, 2020, and May 9, 2022, may submit an application to HKU-SZH along with the required supporting documents.

The scheme’s scope of service and subsidy will remain to cover anaesthesiology (pain clinic only); cardiothoracic surgery; clinical oncology; ear, nose and throat; eye; gynecology; medicine; neurosurgery; obstetrics; orthopaedics and traumatology; paediatrics, and surgery.

Episodic illnesses, inpatient or day inpatient, and accident and emergency department services are not included.

As of October 10, the HKU-SZH has scheduled about 31,300 medical appointments for eligible patients. About 26 000 attendances have received medical consultation.

For enquiries, call the authority at 2300 7070 or the HKU-SZH at (+86) 0755-86913101.