The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital (HKU-SZH), as authorized by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), will arrange follow-up medical consultations for Hong Kong patients with chronic diseases residing in Guangdong Province during the COVID-19 pandemic, the hospital said Monday.
Patients suffering chronic diseases that have appointments with designated special outpatient clinics and general outpatient clinics of the Hong Kong Hospital Authority between Feb. 17, 2020 and July 31, 2021 will be eligible to receive subsidized consultation sessions at designated outpatient clinics of HKU-SZH, according to a support scheme launched yesterday.
The support scheme covers services provided by anesthesiology clinic (pain clinic only), oncology clinic, ophthalmology clinic, gynecology clinic, medicine clinic, surgery clinic (include otorhinolaryngology, cardiothoracic surgery, neurosurgery), obstetrics clinic, orthopedic clinic and pediatrics clinic.
Patients that are not currently registered or following up in outpatient clinics under the Hong Kong Hospital Authority, and those that require in-patient or day patient care and emergency services are not covered by the support scheme.
Eligible patients are required to pay 100 yuan (US$15) to HKU-SZH as a consultation fee per visit, except for those who are entitled to have the consultation fee waived. The balance of the fees charged by the hospital will be subsidized by the HKSAR Government subject to a cap of 2,000 yuan per patient.
For an eligible patient who wishes to join the support scheme, he or she should submit an application to HKU-SZH through a special WeChat miniprogram developed by the hospital, and provide required documents.
According to the hospital, it will then arrange patient consultations with reference to their follow-up appointment in the Hong Kong Hospital Authority and in accordance with the arrangement of clinics in HKU-SZH.