40 nurse, allied health service centers in pipeline

More than 40 service centers will be set up for the Health Bureau’s Chronic Disease Co-Care Pilot Scheme, offering nursing and allied health services.

Introduced in 2023, the scheme subsidizes eligible individuals aged 45 or above without diabetes or hypertension to undergo screening, medical consultations and laboratory tests in private healthcare centers, with medicines prescribed based on their health condition, under a co-payment model.

The bureau announced Monday that the centers will offer dedicated nurse clinics and allied health services within the district health network to support district health centers in providing broader and more cohesive healthcare services to participants of the co-care scheme while further expanding the primary healthcare service network.

Its Strategic Purchasing Office has procured clinics for nurse and allied health professional services in the private healthcare market through an open tender process to “offer tailor-made and more comprehensive chronic disease management solutions for participants of the scheme,” the bureau said.

New dedicated nursing services include diabetic foot assessment, treatment and prevention, along with the development of phased personalized health lifestyle and daily dietary improvement plans for participants.

For allied health services, physiotherapists will provide tailored exercise prescriptions and pain management for complex cases, such as individuals who are overweight and have joint pain.

Newly added dietitian services offer targeted nutritional and dietary guidance for cases that have not met expected improvement goals despite nurse guidance while optometrists will perform retinal photography examinations for diabetes and hypertension patients.

The dedicated services will be rolled out in phases, with the first phase starting Monday providing services to co-care scheme participants, said the bureau.

(Adelyn Lau)