SCMA inspects operation of medication delivery scheme for Hong Kong people in Guangdong and Fujian (with photos)

The Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Mr Erick Tsang Kwok-wai, visited the temporary operation centre for the special scheme introduced for delivering prescription medications to Hong Kong people in Guangdong and Fujian with urgent needs for medications this afternoon (May 4) to learn more about the drug delivery services. He also gave encouragement to the participating volunteers and expressed gratitude for their huge support for the scheme.

Under the compulsory quarantine arrangements, many Hong Kong people who are staying in Guangdong Province and Fujian Province are unable to conduct day trips to Hong Kong to attend follow-up consultations or replenish their prescription medications and return to the Mainland on the same day as they have done previously. To address the concern that the prescription medications taken by these Hong Kong residents may be running out, the Government introduced a special scheme on February 24 to deliver prescription medications to them, with priority given to those who will run out of prescription medications by end April.

Mr Tsang was pleased to learn that as at April 29, arrangements had been made to deliver prescription medications to more than 7 600 Hong Kong residents in need. He expressed gratitude to the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions (FTU) for offering voluntary services for the drug delivery scheme with its well-established service networks on the Mainland.

Mr Tsang also thanked the Pharmaceutical Society of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Pharmaceutical Care Foundation for deploying pharmacists to the temporary operation centre to help verify the drug records and patients' information, and extended gratitude to colleagues from various government departments for participating in the scheme.

Mr Tsang said, "As the expiry date for the Compulsory Quarantine of Certain Persons Arriving at Hong Kong Regulation (Cap. 599C) is extended to June 7, 2020, the special scheme will also be extended and give priority to cases in which the prescription drugs will run out on or before that date."

Hong Kong residents who are in need of the service can call the Social Welfare Department's 24-hour Hotline (Tel: 2343 2255), or the hotline of FTU's Hong Kong office (Tel: 3652 5833) from 9am to 6 pm, Monday to Friday, for details.