The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     The Chairman of the Hospital Authority (HA), Mr Henry Fan, welcomed the healthcare initiatives in the 2020 Policy Address delivered by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, today (November 25), which will enhance public healthcare service and support to patients.
 
     Mr Fan is delighted that the Government supports the improvement of healthcare service through proactive application of information technology and development of smart hospital initiatives. The HA will further explore the broader application of telemedicine service in integrated model nurse clinics, outreach, allied health and special out-patient clinics through developing the mobile application "HA Go".
 
     "The smart hospital is the main strategy for the HA's sustainable development. The HA will launch pilot programmes in some public hospitals to develop smart wards and smart clinics. We believe that smart hospitals will enhance the efficiency of healthcare services and provide greater convenience to patients and their families," said Mr Fan.
 
     With the support from the Government, the HA will continue to strengthen support to patients with chronic diseases, including the continued implementation of viral hepatitis strategies, and the enhancement of related testing capacity and provision of nurse clinic services; to enhance support to cancer patients by extending cancer diagnostic and treatment services capacity and recruiting additional case managers; to enhance specialised child and adolescent psychiatric service, psychogeriatric outreach service and community psychiatry service. The HA will also continue to expand genetics and genomic services to enhance support to children with uncommon disorders and genetic disorders. Moreover, public hospitals will also continue to extend the coverage of inborn errors of metabolism screening service.
 
     Mr Fan was thankful for the support of the Government to the public healthcare service. The HA will strive to implement the abovementioned measures for the benefit of patients.

Ends/Wednesday, November 25, 2020
Issued at HKT 19:05

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