HK’s Chronic Disease Co-Care Pilot Scheme expands medical lab services

Patients will be able to visit any of the 63 participating service points, up from 24.

Hong Kong’s Primary Healthcare Commission has announced new arrangements under the Chronic Disease Co-Care Pilot Scheme (CDCC Pilot Scheme) to give participants greater flexibility in accessing medical laboratory services.

Patients will be able to visit any of the 63 participating medical laboratory service points, up from 24, by presenting a laboratory service request note issued by a participating family doctor. Co-payment fees will remain unchanged.

All medical laboratories participating in the scheme are accredited under the eHealth+ Connectivity Accreditation Scheme. Laboratory reports will be deposited into personal eHealth accounts, accessible to both the individual and authorised healthcare providers.

Participants may also have blood samples taken or returned at District Health Centres or District Health Expresses.

Meanwhile, family doctors may offer in-clinic blood taking or sample collection for an extra fee on top of the standard co-payment.

The new arrangements will extend to the Hospital Authority’s General Outpatient Clinic Public-Private Partnership Programme, which is set to conclude in 2028. Patients under that programme will be invited to join the CDCC Pilot Scheme to continue receiving care from family doctors.

Launched in 2023, the scheme allows residents aged 45 and above with no known history of diabetes or hypertension to undergo screening for these chronic conditions through private-sector laboratory services.