Hong Kong is one of the healthiest places in the world. Because of its early health education, professional health services, and well-developed health care and medication system,

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 ...

enjoy a

life expectancy Life expectancy is a statistical measure of the average time an organism is expected to live, based on the year of its birth, current age, and other demographic factors like sex. The most commonly used measure is life expectancy at birth ...

of 86 for females and 80 for men, which is the third highest in the world, and an infant mortality rate of 2.73 deaths per 1,000 births, the ninth-lowest in the world. The proportion of the population over 65 years old is expected to grow from 14% in 2013 to 18% in 2018, and the number of people with a long-term condition is expected to increase by 33% over the same period. Mental health appears to be more of a problem than physical health. It is reported that the number of mental health patients has increased by 2% to 4% every year since 2011 from 187,000 in 2011–12 to 226,000 in 2015–16. Pressure on children from the competitive education system and high parental expectations is blamed for rising levels of anxiety and depression in young children. Primary school children are reported to spend less time outdoors playing than convicted prisoners. The

Secretary for Health The Secretary for Health () is a ministerial position in the Hong Kong Government, who heads the Health Bureau. The current office holder is Lo Chung-mau. The position was created on 1 July 2022, following the reshuffle of the principal o ...

is responsible for formulating and implementing health policies of Hong Kong and is in charge of the Health Bureau. The Bureau oversees the operations of the

Department of Health A health department or health ministry is a part of government which focuses on issues related to the general health of the citizenry. Subnational entities, such as states, counties and cities, often also operate a health department of their ow ...

. Public hospital service is provided by the

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. ...

Department of Health

The Department of Health, under the Health Bureau, is the health adviser of Hong Kong government and an executive arm in health legislation and policy. Its main role is to safeguard the health of the community through promotive, preventive, curative and rehabilitative services in Hong Kong. The main function of the department includes child assessment service, immunisation programmes, dental service,

forensic pathology Forensic pathology is pathology that focuses on determining the cause of death by examining a corpse. A post mortem examination is performed by a medical examiner or forensic pathologist, usually during the investigation of criminal law cases an ...

service, registration of healthcare professionals etc., though boards and councils (i.e. Medical Council of Hong Kong, Pharmacy and Poisons Board of Hong Kong) are independent statutory bodies established under the relevant ordinances that operate independently to discharge their statutory functions.

Medical Institutions

There are two medical training faculties established in Hong Kong. They are the Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong and the Faculty of Medicine of the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

References

{{Asia topic, Health in, state=expanded

Department of Health

Medical Institutions

See also

References