HK to go places with patient records on phones

Wallis Wang

The SAR administration will launch a new service that allows patients to carry their medical records when visiting hospitals and clinics in the mainland and other places, Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau said.

Lo also said he believed that many pharmaceutical companies were preparing to get their medicines approved in Hong Kong under its new "1+" mechanism.

As Hong Kong expands the acceptability of health care vouchers for seniors to medical institutions in the Greater Bay Area next year, the administration hopes to share their medical records with these institutions, Lo said yesterday, after getting their consent.

In the long run, the administration will roll out an eHealth+ mobile app to develop a personalized eHealth account for every resident to store their digital health records, he said.

Lo said patients can save their own medical records on phones through the app and bring the records to non-local hospitals.

"When elderly patients see a new doctor outside Hong Kong, they may not be able to tell the doctor what medications they are taking," Lo said.

"We hope to develop digital and personalized medical records in the long run so that patients can carry their records everywhere they go. They can check their records or show it to doctors."

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has said in last month's policy address that the SAR will procure healthcare services in the Greater Bay Area.

Lo said the authorities will procure some low-risk medical services, including computed tomography - commonly known as CT scan - and magnetic resonance imaging.

Patients here have to wait a long time to undergo these medical examinations at local public hospitals, he said.

Asked how the government can ensure there won't be any medical accidents, Lo said the government will procure low-risk services from high-quality mainland institutions.

Risks are always present in all medical procedures, he said, adding that the administration will prioritize institutions headed by Hong Kong doctors.

"This arrangement is more ideal as we can find the person in charge if any accident happens."

Lo said the government would also consider purchasing dental services as Hongkongers have a high demand for scaling and filling work.

"As the arrangement involves cross-border health care services, we will choose some low-risk programs," Lo said.

"Many Hongkongers are already heading north by themselves for dental services in the mainland."

A new "1+" drug registration mechanism to speed up the approval of new drugs for life-threatening diseases has come into effect starting this Wednesday.

Lo said he is confident that the new mechanism will attract pharmaceutical companies to move to Hong Kong to develop drugs, as medicines approved in the SAR can be used in the Greater Bay Area.

Many biomedical companies have already welcomed the new mechanism, Lo said, adding that he believes many companies are preparing documents to submit to the SAR for vetting and approval of drugs.