The Department of Health (DH) today (December 23) reminded the public that an online registration system for dental general public session (ORDGP) will come into operation next Monday (December 30) and that the existing preliminary registration arrangements for dental general public sessions will cease from the same day. Members of the public will no longer need to queue in person at the relevant dental clinic to obtain a disc quota.
“The ORDGP will come into operation on December 30. The starting time for the online registration for balloting will be advanced from the originally proposed 9.30am to 6am, while the closing time will remain unchanged, i.e. 11.30am, to make it easier for members of the public in need of emergency public dental services to register for public dental services at designated dental clinics on the next working day,” said a spokesman for the DH.
He added that the DH has long been providing free emergency dental treatments to the public, through designated sessions in 11 government dental clinics on a quota basis, to deal with prescriptions for pain relief, tooth extraction or other emergencies such as an oral abscess.
Following the launch of the ORDGP, members of the public in need of emergency public dental services can access the ORDGP via the eHealth mobile application or the DH’s Dental Public Session website to register under their real name for public dental services at designated dental clinics on the next working day. Each person can only register once per day during the above-mentioned registration period. Quotas will be allocated by computer ballot. If the following day is a Saturday or a public holiday, ORDGP will not accept registrations.
The system will conduct balloting immediately after the online registration is closed. People who are successfully allocated a quota will receive a confirmation notification via SMS with the ID “#DH-DENT GP”. They can also log into the ORDGP to check the ballot result after 12.30pm on the same day, or call the hotline on 2892 2111 to check from 9am to 5pm during office hours.
“To cater for the needs of the elderly, half of the quotas will be allocated on a priority basis to elderly people aged 65 or above. Elderly people, who are not allocated a priority quota in the first round, will join other registered persons for the allocation of the remaining quotas by ballot,” the spokesman said.
To allow members of the public to understand more about the online registration process, the DH has uploaded the relevant introduction and demonstration videos to the Dental Public Session website today for public viewing.
Anyone who needs assistance registering may visit any dental clinics with dental general public session between 8.30am and 11.30am to register with the assistance of on-site staff, without using their own personal mobile phone or computer.
Members of the public who are allocated a quota must bring the originals of their identity documents used for registration to the designated dental clinics on the specified date and time to receive dental services. Citizens registered with eHealth and their family members/carers can also view their relevant attendance records on the eHealth app.
If any quota remains unallocated after balloting, the ORDGP will provide the public with a list of relevant dental clinics. Members of the public can make appointments on a first-come, first-served basis by calling the remaining quota registration hotline (tel: 2892 2577) between 2pm and 5pm on the same day, or between 7.45am and 9.15am on the service day of the general public session for the remaining quotas (if available).
The DH has established an extensive district network to assist those in need, including District Health Centres, District Health Centre Expresses, Neighbourhood Elderly Centres and the District Elderly Community Centres under the Social Welfare Department, District Councillors’ offices, Community Care Teams and dental clinics run by 15 social welfare institutions or non-governmental organisations. The DH has completed a number of online briefing sessions this month to introduce and demonstrate the relevant registration steps and process to the staff members of the above district networks.
During the initial period of commissioning the ORDGP, apart from operating an enquiry hotline (tel: 2892 2111) from 9am to 5pm on weekdays during office hours, the DH will also provide additional enquiry hotline service hours from 9am to 1pm on five public holidays (including January 1, 5, 12, 19 and 26, 2025) for answering enquiries from members of the public.
The spokesman emphasised that the public dental services are dedicated for those in need of emergency dental treatments only. Given the limited quotas, it is hoped that the service will not be abused. The DH will closely monitor the operation and the effectiveness of the ORDGP.
Separately, the service hours of general public session for Mona Fong Dental Clinic will be changed from Thursday afternoons to Thursday mornings with effect from January 2, 2025, which will be the same as the other 10 clinics with general public sessions. Please visit the website for addresses and service hours of the 11 dental clinics under the DH with general public sessions. read more
