Hong Kong gov’t pilots radiology diagnostic service program

The pilot programme will offer CT and MRI scans to residents of the New Territories East.

The Hong Kong government is set to provide outpatient radiology diagnostic services to qualified patients in its largest makeshift COVID-19 hospital aimed at alleviating pressure on public hospitals.

The city’s Hospital Authority launched the Ambulatory Diagnostic Radiology Service pilot programme last week, inviting selected residents residing in the New Territories East Cluster to undergo examinations at the Central Government-Aided Emergency Hospital, a former COVID-19 emergency camp located in the Lok Ma Chau Loop.

Diagnostic services offered include computed tomography (CT) scan of the brain, sinuses, orbits, abdomen, pelvis and thorax, as well as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan of the spine, shoulders and knees, among others.

"Facing the increasing demand for services, the HA hopes to make good use of the equipment in the CGAEH to provide safe and high-quality radiological diagnostic services and shorten patient waiting time,” a spokesperson from the government agency said in a statement.

Implemented on a voluntary basis, qualified patients should be aged between 12 and 80, not hospitalised and are in stable conditions. 

“If abnormalities are found after an examination, diagnosis and follow-up will be arranged for patients as soon as possible to manage the diseases early," the state agency said.

The Hospital Authority, which oversees public hospitals in Hong Kong, plans to cover New Territories’ Western cluster after the launch in the east. The agency said it will review the programme regularly before expanding it to other areas.

Located near mainland China’s border, the hospital was completed in phases last year with the help of China.