Expanded elderly health care voucher coverage in guangzhou: new service point at sun yat-sen university for hong kong elderly starting tomorrow
ãThe Department of Health (DH) today (June 27) announced that the coverage of the Elderly Health Care Voucher (EHCV) will be extended to the First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou (FAH-SYSU) starting from tomorrow (June 28).This will be another service point where Hong Kong elderly persons eligible for EHCVs can use them for outpatient healthcare services in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) on top of the two current service points operated by the University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen (HKU-SZ) Hospital at its hospital and the Huawei Li Zhi Yuan Community Health Service Center (CHC). Starting from the same day, eligible elderly persons have to register with eHealth before they can use EHCVs at the designated GBA medical institutions.
ããThe FAH-SYSU is the first medical institution providing integrated services to launch the relevant arrangements under the EHCV GBA Pilot Scheme (Pilot Scheme). Starting from tomorrow, elderly persons will be able to use EHCVs to pay for outpatient healthcare services provided by the following 15 designated departments of the FAH-SYSU: Department of Internal Medicine, Department of Surgery, Department of Gynecology, Department of Ophthalmology, Department of Otolaryngology, Department of Stomatology, Department of Dermatology, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Department of Neurology, Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Nutrition, Health Management Center and Department of Emergency Medicine.
ããStarting from tomorrow, elderly persons can undergo identity verification and registration at the counter on the west side of the Medical Service Center, 1/F, Building No.1 of the FAH-SYSU. Elderly persons can also make appointments via the FAH-SYSU official mobile application "Appointment Booking for Hong Kong Elderly Health Care Voucher" or through the self-service machine located in the FAH-SYSU. Upon attending a medical appointment, elderly persons should first visit in person the west side of the Medical Service Center, 1/F, Building No.1 of the FAH-SYSU, and show a valid Hong Kong Identity Card or Certificate of Exemption issued by the Immigration Department to go through relevant procedures and identity verification. Elderly persons can then make registration at the counter on-site or through the appointment platform. After receiving outpatient services at the designated departments, elderly persons can use EHCVs to pay the relevant fees at the relevant cashier of the department (e.g. the Outpatient Cashier located on 4/F, Building No.1) according to the instructions from the FAH-SYSU.
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ããThe fees for the healthcare services provided by the FAH-SYSU are denominated in Renminbi. The FAH-SYSU will make EHCV claims for elderly persons, and the EHCV amount deducted in Hong Kong dollars will be calculated according to a monthly updated voucher conversion factor under the EHCV Scheme. The FAH-SYSU will display the monthly voucher conversion factor at the abovementioned cashier offices for the elderly's reference.
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ããA spokesman for the DH reminded, "Elderly persons cannot use EHCVs together with national medical insurance to pay the fees of the same healthcare service encounter. In addition, the scope of using EHCVs on the Mainland is the same as that in Hong Kong, which does not include inpatient services, prepaid healthcare services and day surgery procedures. EHCVs cannot be used solely for the purchase of goods, medication, medical equipment or products, nor can they be redeemed for cash."
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ããThe arrangements for shared use of EHCVs between spouses, as well as the EHCV Pilot Reward Scheme (Pilot Reward Scheme), apply equally to the Pilot Scheme. For the FAH-SYSU, the arrangements of the Pilot Reward Scheme are applicable to the following Departments: Department of Internal Medicine, Department of Surgery, Department of Gynecology, Department of Ophthalmology, Department of Stomatology, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Health Management Center and Department of Emergency Medicine. Elderly persons who use EHCVs for outpatient services on health check, preventive and follow-up/monitoring of long-term conditions provided by these nine designated departments of the hospital can accumulate their EHCV spending for receiving a Reward.
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ããMoreover, also starting from tomorrow, Hong Kong elderly persons using EHCVs at medical institutions in the GBA have to register with eHealth. The relevant arrangements apply to the HKU-SZ Hospital, Huawei Li Zhi Yuan CHC, the FAH-SYSU, and the remaining six pilot medical institutions that will launch relevant arrangements under the Pilot Scheme in future. After joining eHealth, elderly persons can make use of its mobile app to check their EHCV balance and usage record, as well as access anytime important information such as their medications, allergies and adverse drug reactions stored in the eHealth app. This allows better record-keeping and management of their health and EHCV usage, and facilitates continuity of care provided by healthcare professionals.
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ããIn February this year, the Government included five medical institutions providing integrated services (all with dental services) and two dental medical institutions in the Pilot Scheme. The Government is actively carrying out preparatory work with the remaining six medical institutions included in the Pilot Scheme, and is making good progress. These six medical institutions will progressively launch the relevant arrangements starting from the third quarter. Details will be announced in due course.
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ããLaunched in 2009, the EHCV Scheme currently subsidises eligible Hong Kong elderly persons aged 65 and above with an annual EHCV amount of $2,000 (with the accumulation limit set at $8,000) for them to choose private primary healthcare services that best suit their health needs. Members of the public may browse the EHCV Scheme website (www.hcv.gov.hk) or call the EHCV Scheme hotline (2838 2311) for information on the EHCV Scheme.
