FEHD strives to enhance food safety of catering services for tour groups
The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) has launched a special round of operations to inspect food premises serving tour groups in various districts of Hong Kong with reference to the list provided by Travel Industry Authority, with the aim of enhancing food safety and hygiene awareness among the caterers.
A spokesman for the FEHD said today (September 13), "The inspections, being carried out jointly by the department's Centre for Food Safety (CFS) and Environmental Hygiene Branch since September 12, are to ensure that the licensing conditions regarding food handling and processing are observed by the operators, and that the hygienic standards stipulated in the laws are met. During the inspections, FEHD staff also provide food safety and hygiene education to operators and their employers, and collect food samples for testing."
Furthermore, the CFS collaborated with the Travel Industry Authority to host an online health talk for tour group catering service providers today, to provide advice on safe food preparation and remind them to maintain good personal, food, and environmental hygiene at all times. Caterers were also encouraged to adhere to Good Hygiene Practices and develop a food safety plan based on the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point system.
The FEHD will continue to monitor the situation and maintain close liaison with relevant stakeholders to safeguard public health and ensure that food safety standards are upheld.
FEHD strives to enhance food safety of catering services for tour groups Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
FEHD strives to enhance food safety of catering services for tour groups Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Chronic Disease Co-Care Pilot Scheme to be expanded to provide preventive screening services in General Out-patient Clinics for underprivileged group
The Health Bureau announced today (March 11) that thePrimary Healthcare Commissionwill expand the Chronic Disease Co-Care Pilot Scheme (CDCC Pilot Scheme) to designated General Out-patient Clinics (GOPCs) under the Hospital Authority (HA) in phases, starting from March 28, to provide preventive screening and care services for the underprivileged group. The first phase will be piloted in seven GOPCs (see Annex 1), with plans to add six other GOPCs (see Annex 2) by the end of June to expand the coverage of prevention-orientedprimary healthcareservices.
The Government launched the CDCC Pilot Scheme in 2023 to subsidise Hong Kong residents aged 45 or above with no known medical history of diabetes mellitus (DM) or hypertension (HT) to undergo DM and HT screening, as well as receive consultation services on a co-payment basis in the private healthcare sector through pairing with a family doctor of their choice, with a view to encouraging citizens to gain a better understanding of their own health status as early as possible, thereby achieving the goal of "early prevention, early identification and early treatment". In the meantime, in light of the announcement of repositioning the HA's GOPCs as comprehensive primary healthcare service providers for the underprivileged in "The Chief Executive's 2024 Policy Address", the Government has decided to provide CDCC Pilot Scheme services for underprivileged persons aged 45 or above with no known medical history of specific chronic diseases at GOPCs on a pilot basis, enabling them to achieve early detection and management of chronic diseases, thereby enhancing the overall health of the general public.
Starting from March 28, recipients of the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance Scheme, recipients of the Old Age Living Allowance aged 75 or above, or persons holding a valid medical fee waiver certificate (hereafter referred to as eligible persons) interested in joining the Pilot Scheme can first visit the District Health Centres (DHCs)orDHC Expressesfor an initial assessment. DHCs/DHC Expresses will arrange for participants to receive preventive screening services at designated HA GOPCs, with the same service scope as the CDCC Pilot Scheme. Relevant GOPCs will contact the participants and arrange appointments for them within one month upon receiving referrals from the DHCs/DHC Expresses. Relevant GOPCs will also arrange laboratory tests based on the participant's health risk, formulate a health management plan based on the test results, and provide health education and counselling services. The fees for using the preventive care services for eligible persons will be fully or partially waived according to their eligibility within one year from the date of receiving their first service. Participants' eligibility will be verified again after the one-year service period.
The Government will continue to review the effectiveness of the pilot services, which are planned to be gradually expanded to designated GOPC service points across all 18 districts by the fourth quarter of this year. In addition, the CDCC Pilot Scheme will be expanded later to include blood lipid testing, which will also be provided to the underprivileged group in GOPCs. The Government will continue to promote the CDCC Pilot Scheme and provide the latest information about the Scheme to enhance awareness of self-health management and promote active prevention and management of chronic diseases among various sectors of the community.
