The Health Bureau recently announced further details of the Chronic Disease Co-Care Pilot Scheme (CDCC Pilot Scheme) which is to be launched in mid-November. Eligible persons will be subsidised by the Government to undergo screening by a family doctor of their own choice. Those who are diagnosed with prediabetes, diabetes mellitus (DM) or hypertension (HT) will be taken care of by their family doctor with long-term management including medical consultations and drug prescription as clinically indicated. The CDCC Pilot Scheme aims at encouraging early prevention and management of chronic diseases. All Hong Kong residents aged 45 or above with no known medical history of DM or HT are eligible to join the scheme and undergo DM and HT screening, attend doctor consultations and receive laboratory investigations in the private healthcare sector, and, subject to their health conditions, be offered prescribed medication, follow-up care at nurse clinics and allied health services. The CDCC Pilot Scheme is a co-payment model. Government subsidies will be offered during the screening and treatment phases, while participants being the one who should take the primary responsibility for their own health will pay a certain amount of the co-payment fee.

The 18 District Health Centres (DHCs) and DHC Expresses (DHCEs) will help the citizens to pair with a family doctor after completion of registration as a DHC/ DHCE member and given consent to enrol in the Electronic Health Record Sharing System (eHealth). The family doctor will provide consultation and arrange laboratory investigations for them as needed and advise them on the diagnosis afterwards. During this screening phase, the Government will offer subsidies to cover the laboratory investigation fees in full and the consultation fee at an amount of $196, whereas participants will need to pay a designated co-payment fee of $120. 

People who are diagnosed with prediabetes, DM or HT will be supported with Government subsidies for long-term follow-up by the family doctor they selected. Those with prediabetes are entitled to a maximum of four subsidised consultation visits per year, while those diagnosed with DM or HT are entitled to a maximum of six subsidised consultation visits per year. In the treatment phase, the Government will subsidise a consultation fee of $166 for each visit. The co-payment fee charged to the participants will be determined by the family doctors. The Government's recommended co-payment fee is $150 per consultation.

The Government has also made arrangements for participating family doctors to purchase drugs on the formulary list from designated drug suppliers at discounted prices. On top of that, the Government will provide a quarterly drug subsidy to family doctors who have prescribed chronic diseases drugs on the list at a rate of $105 per participant. For clinical needs assessed by family doctors during medical consultations, participants will be arranged to receive follow-up services from nurse clinics and allied health with subsidies from the Government. Persons aged 65 or above may settle the co-payment fees with Elderly Health Care Vouchers, including that for consultations, services by nurse clinics, allied health and laboratory investigation.

In addition, a two-way referral mechanism with the Hospital Authority (HA) has been established. Participants with clinical needs upon assessment by a family doctor will be referred to designated Medical Specialist Outpatient Clinics (SOPC) of the HA for a one-off Medical specialist medical consultation in accordance with specified referral criterion and guidelines. After obtaining clinical advices on care plans from the Medicine SOPC, participants concerned will return to their own family doctor for continuous follow-up.

The CDCC Pilot Scheme is a significant project after the release of the Primary Healthcare Blueprint at the end of 2022. The Scheme will no doubt strengthen Hong Kong’s primary healthcare system through the establishment of a family doctor system and the positioning of the DHC/DHCE as a hub in fostering expansion of healthcare network at the community level. The Scheme will also encourage citizens to start making Life Course Preventive Care plans for early prevention, early identification and early treatment. As family doctors, we should try our best to support the scheme as it provides a great opportunity for us to provide continuity of care and preventive care to our patients in the community. Please do join the Primary Care Directory and the Scheme if you have not already done so. (please click)

The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) has announced that the Seasonal Influenza Vaccination Subsidy Scheme (VSS) 2023/24 would be launched on September 28, whereas the Government Vaccination Programme (GVP), Seasonal Influenza Vaccination School Outreach Programme and the Residential Care Home Vaccination Programme will begin on October 5. Since vaccination is one of the most effective ways to prevent seasonal influenza and its complications, members of the public are encouraged to receive vaccination as soon as possible. Family doctors have always been on the forefront of providing preventive activities such as vaccination, please keep up your great work. (please click)

Many of us would have known Dr. Maria Gonzalez who was formerly the Reader at the Dermatology Department of Cardiff University as she has been leading and teaching all the postgraduate dermatology courses of Cardiff University from 2002 to 2012. She used to come to Hong Kong regularly between 2007 to 2012 for teaching and examining for the ever so popular Diploma in Practical Dermatology (DPD) which has been upgraded to a distance learning course by Dr. Gonzalez with great global success. Dr. Gonzalez is now Consultant Dermatologist and Medical Director of the Specialist Skin Clinic in Cardiff and she is also Honorary Consultant Dermatologist at the Aneurin Bevan Health Board (Royal Gwent Hospital). I have the great pleasure of meeting up and catching up with Dr. Gonzalez when she was visiting Hong Kong recently. Hope that we can all learn from Dr. Gonzalez the next time she visits Hong Kong.