Subsidised healthcare plan for Hong Kong citizens in Mainland China

senior asian woman and family doctor having a discussing using tablet computer

A Hong Kong-run hospital in Shenzhen will soon be able to offer eligible Hong Kong citizens living on the Chinese mainland subsidised medical care.

The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital will offer a one-stop service for those living across the border. Many patients have been unable to make scheduled Hospital Authority appointments in Hong Kong, due to mandatory 14-day coronavirus quarantine on both sides of the border.

The hospital is offering dedicated rooms for patients, Cantonese-speaking staff, and Hong Kong doctors.

An electronic platform has also been set up for patients to check if they are eligible for the subsidy, make appointments, and request medical records from the city.

The subsidy will only apply to cases that have been approved by the Hospital Authority. For other diseases or conditions, the patient needs to pay for the additional treatment themselves.

Guangdong, China’s southernmost mainland province nearest to Hong Kong, has over 500,000 Hong Kong citizens on the mainland.

Hong Kong residents living in Singapore will also be allowed to return to the city soon without being quarantined, but numbers will be subject to a quota arrangement, as only two border crossings will reopen. Travellers going from Hong Kong to Singapore will still be subject to quarantine rules. Travellers will still have to take four expensive PCR tests, clearing them of COVID-19.