Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
's Department of Health is responsible for healthcare policies and the provision of basic healthcare services and established in 1939. The public hospitals are managed by the department's
Hospital Authority
The Hospital Authority is a statutory body managing all the government hospitals and institutes in Hong Kong. It is under the governance of its board and is under the monitor of the Secretary for Food and Health of the Hong Kong Government. ...
. The department reports to the
Health Bureau.
The department is headed by the Director of Health, a position currently held by Dr. Ronald Lam Man Kin.
History
In the past, health and medical issues (including hospital management) fell under the purview of the Medical and Health Department. This changed with reforms to Hong Kong's healthcare system in the late 1980s. In October 1987, Governor
David Wilson officially announced the government's intention to establish a new, semi-independent
Hospital Authority
The Hospital Authority is a statutory body managing all the government hospitals and institutes in Hong Kong. It is under the governance of its board and is under the monitor of the Secretary for Food and Health of the Hong Kong Government. ...
, which would be administered by a new Hospital Services Department (HSD).
In April 1989, the Medical and Health Department was split into the Department of Health and the Hospital Services Department.
The Hospital Authority was set up in 1990.
In March 2021, the Department of Health terminated a vaccination agreement with a private clinic, after its doctor claimed that the Sinovac vaccine had a bad reputation and that he would not take it himself.
On 1 November 2022, Chief Executive
John Lee John Lee may refer to:
Academia
* John Lee (astronomer) (1783–1866), president of the Royal Astronomical Society
* John Lee (university principal) (1779–1859), University of Edinburgh principal
* John Lee (pathologist) (born 1961), English ...
said that Financial Secretary
Paul Chan would have to take a PCR test upon arrival in Hong Kong, and will have to isolate if he tests positive; Lee stressed that Chan would not be allowed any exemptions. The Department of Health, in a press release issued at 11:57pm on 1 November 2022, said Chan was a "recovered case and was not contagious, and isolation was not required," but did not specify if Chan tested negative on his PCR test.
The press release also stated that Chan will attend the
Global Financial Leaders' Investment Summit The Global Financial Leaders' Investment Summit is a financial summit to be hosted in Hong Kong by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), scheduled for 1–3 November 2022.
Background
The initiative was announced by Financial Secretary Paul Ch ...
but "will not take part in meals," and did not specify the reason behind that if he had "recovered."
On 2 November 2022, ''SCMP'' reported that Chan tested positive with his PCR test, but did not have to isolate, contradicting Lee's earlier remarks.
Structure
The Department of Health provides its broad range and diverse services to
Hongkongers
Hongkongers (), also known as Hong Kongers, Hong Kongese, Hongkongese, Hong Kong citizens and Hong Kong people, typically refers to residents of the territory of Hong Kong; although may also refer to others who were born and/or raised in the ...
through different divisions, offices, and centres. The following is a list of them:
Drug registration in Hong Kong
Under the Pharmacy and Poisons Ordinance (Chapter 138), the Department of Health's Drug Office is responsible for drug registration in Hong Kong. All
drugs
A drug is any chemical substance that causes a change in an organism's physiology or psychology when consumed. Drugs are typically distinguished from food and substances that provide nutritional support. Consumption of drugs can be via inhalat ...
sold in Hong Kong are required to be registered with a number, which consists of the prefix 'HK' followed by five digits (e.g. HK-05628).
See also
*
Immunisation Programme in Hong Kong
In order to protect infants and children from serious infectious diseases, the Department of Health of Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr ...
*
Hong Kong Society of Medical Informatics
The Hong Kong Society of Medical Informatics was founded in April 1987 by a group of medical practitioners and informatics professionals with special interests in medical informatics and computing and communications.
The society is a non-profit ...
*
Health Bureau (Hong Kong)
Health Bureau () is a part of the fifteen policy bureaux for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. They are responsible for the health portfolios. The agency was established on 1 July 2022. The current (since 1 July 2022) Secretary for Heal ...
References
External links
Official website
{{authority control
Medical and health organisations based in Hong Kong
Health
Health, according to the World Health Organization, is "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity".World Health Organization. (2006)''Constitution of the World Health Organiza ...
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...