The Hong Kong Elderly Health Care Voucher Program has officially expanded to include the Nansha Division of the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, allowing eligible Hong Kong seniors to use their vouchers for medical expenses at 14 designated departments and 24 specialist outpatient clinics within the hospital.

This initiative is part of the Elderly Health Care Voucher Greater Bay Area Pilot Scheme announced by the Hong Kong SAR Government, aimed at enhancing the convenience and flexibility of medical services for Hong Kong seniors residing in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA). Both the main campus of First Affiliated Hospital and its Nansha division are included in the pilot program, with the main campus having commenced voucher services on June 28, 2024.

(Photo: Nansha Division of the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University)

According to the agreement signed between the Nansha Division and the Hong Kong Department of Health, eligible Hong Kong seniors can use their vouchers to cover medical expenses at 14 designated departments, including Internal Medicine, Surgery, Gynecology, Ophthalmology, Otorhinolaryngology, Dentistry (pending service launch), Dermatology, Rehabilitation Medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Neurology, Cardiovascular Medicine, Clinical Nutrition, Health Management Center, and Emergency Medicine, as well as 24 specialist outpatient clinics. It is noteworthy that the specific launch date for dental specialist services will be announced separately.

To be eligible for the voucher program, individuals must be Hong Kong residents aged 65 or above and hold a valid Hong Kong Identity Card or a Certificate of Exemption issued by the Immigration Department of the Hong Kong SAR Government. Those whose immigration or stay permission has expired or is no longer valid, despite holding a Hong Kong Identity Card, do not meet the criteria for voucher usage.

Furthermore, the vouchers are excluded from covering hospitalization expenses, pre-paid medical and nursing care, outpatient surgical procedures like cataract surgery or endoscopy, cash refunds, and sole acquisitions of items such as medications, spectacles, dried seafood, personal hygiene products, groceries, or medical equipment.

Additionally, they cannot be used for hiring staff or nursing assistants, and seniors are prohibited from concurrently utilizing both the vouchers and national medical insurance to pay for the same medical service.