Shenzhen clinic accepts HK's elderly health care vouchers

Eligible Hong Kong senior citizens can now use the special administrative region’s elderly health care vouchers (HCVs) at the Huawei Lizhiyuan Clinic, a community health center in Longgang District, in addition to The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital (HKU-SZH) in Futian District.

The move is expected to facilitate elderly Hong Kong people who live in or frequently travel to Longgang to seek medical treatment.

Hong Kong elders register at the Huawei Lizhiyuan Clinic in Longgang District on Monday. Courtesy of HKU-SZH

The Huawei Lizhiyuan Clinic was set up by HKU-SZH covering a floor area of 3,800 square meters. It mainly provides health services for Huawei employees and their family members, as well as community residents.

According to HKU-SZH, the hospital had applied to the special administrative region’s health department in September 2019 to grant the use of the HCVs at the Lizhiyuan clinic. But the proposal was temporarily put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

On March 31 this year, Hong Kong’s health bureau announced that the HCVs could be used at the Lizhiyuan clinic starting Monday.

The Huawei Lizhiyuan Clinic, set up by The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital.

Hong Kong’s Elderly Health Care Voucher Scheme was launched by the Hong Kong government in 2009.

Under the scheme, the Hong Kong government provides HCVs with a value of HK$2,000 (US$254.78) on Jan. 1 every year to each eligible elderly people aged 65 or above to subsidize them in using the primary healthcare services provided by healthcare professionals.

The special administrative government launched a pilot scheme for the use of HCVs at HKU-SZH in 2015 and regularized the scheme in June 2019.

As of March 31, HKU-SZH had provided services for Hong Kong elders for over 62,000 person-times, the hospital said Monday.