Author Archives: hksar gov

     The Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC), along with 50 other service institutions on the Mainland, has been designated jointly by the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) as part of the new batch of organisations for establishing Technology and Innovation Support Centres (TISCs) and will commence preparatory work that will span a period of one year.
 
     Upon completion of the establishment period, the CNIPA and WIPO will conduct an evaluation and authorise the HKPC to officially operate the TISC in Hong Kong after confirming that the required conditions are met.
 
     A spokesman for the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau said, “We welcome the designation of the HKPC as an organisation for establishing the TISC by the CNIPA and WIPO. The Government will support the HKPC in taking forward the preparatory work, striving for the commencement of operations at the centre next year at the earliest to provide assistance and services to the trade, with a view to further promoting Hong Kong’s development as a regional intellectual property (IP) trading centre and an international innovation and technology centre.”
 
     Under a dedicated programme of the WIPO Development Agenda, TISCs are established to support researchers and innovators at different stages of the innovation cycle by providing them with consultation services on a wide range of information in areas including patent utilisation, search analysis, technology transfer, IP management and commercialisation, thereby helping them make use of the IP system (especially by means of patents) to protect their inventions and guiding them in bringing technology to market.
 
     More than 100 TISCs have been established on the Mainland under the dedicated programme. The Government has responded positively by participating in the programme and has set aside funding to support the HKPC to establish and operate the TISC in Hong Kong in the first three years as announced in the 2024-25 Budget, enabling Hong Kong to better integrate into national development.
 
     The TISC in Hong Kong will focus on providing local start-ups and small and medium enterprises with high-quality IP (especially patents) information and services to assist them in exploring their innovation potential and creating, protecting, managing and commercialising their IPs, with a view to protecting research and development outcomes and promoting IP trading. read more

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     The Hospital Authority (HA) spokesperson today (December 30) announced that the general out-patient clinic (GOPC) service has been enhanced to cope with the service needs from members of the public and to alleviate the service pressure on Accident & Emergency Departments (A&Es) during the New Year holiday. A total of 15 general out-patient clinics (GOPCs) will provide public holiday GOPC services on the New Year holiday (January 1) (see table below). Patients may book an appointment either through the telephone appointment system or the “Book GOPC” function of the “HA Go” mobile app.
 
     The spokesperson reminded members of the public that there have been reports of influenza or other infectious disease outbreaks in a number of popular travel destinations recently. Citizens should exercise extra caution when traveling during holidays, pay attention to their physical condition at all times, and wear masks in crowded places. Besides, the weather has been cold in recent days, and increased activity in influenza and some respiratory pathogens is observed. They should keep warm as well as stay vigilant to personal and environmental hygiene during the public holiday to avoid spreading diseases. Members of the public who develop respiratory symptoms should wear a mask and seek medical advice promptly. The HA appeals to non-emergency patients to avoid using A&E services and seek treatment at GOPCs, private doctors or 24-hour outpatient services at private hospitals to reduce pressure on public hospital A&Es. Members of the public can visit the Health Bureau (HHB)’s Primary Care Directory (www.pcdirectory.gov.hk) to choose a family doctor and view related clinic service information. The HHB has also collated information of private hospitals, healthcare facilities, family doctors and Chinese medicine clinics that will be in operation during the 2025 New Year holiday across the city. The information (including addresses, phone numbers and operation hours) of the relevant hospitals and clinics has been uploaded to the online portal (www.map.gov.hk/gm/s/hhbclinic/all?lg=en) for public reference in collaboration with the Spatial Data Office of the Development Bureau and the Lands Department.
 
     Meanwhile, the spokesperson appeals to members of the public, especially high-risk groups and those who plan to travel abroad, to get vaccinated early for seasonal influenza and COVID-19 to reduce the chance of infection for themselves and their family members, as well as to reduce critical cases and deaths. Members of the public may find details on the Centre for Health Protection COVID-19 Vaccination Programme website  (www.chp.gov.hk/en/features/106934.html) and the Vaccination Schemes website (www.chp.gov.hk/en/features/17980.html).

GOPC service arrangements for New Year holiday (January 1)
 

Region	List of GOPCs	Address	Telephone number for booking	General enquiries
Hong Kong Island	Aberdeen Jockey Club General Out-patient Clinic	10 Aberdeen Reservoir Road, Aberdeen	3543 5011	2555 0381
	Shau Kei Wan Jockey Club General Out-patient Clinic	1/F, 8 Chai Wan Road, Shau Kei Wan	3157 0077	2560 0211
	Violet Peel General Out-patient Clinic	LG, Tang Shiu Kin Hospital Community Ambulatory Care Centre, 282 Queen’s Road East, Wanchai	3157 0000	3553 3116
	Kennedy Town Jockey Club General Out-patient Clinic	45 Victoria Road, Kennedy Town	3543 5088	2817 3215
Kowloon	Kwun Tong Community Health Centre	UG/F, 60 Hip Wo Street, Kwun Tong	3157 0687	2389 0331
	Our Lady of Maryknoll Hospital Family Medicine Clinic	G/F, Out-patient Block, Our Lady of Maryknoll Hospital, 118 Shatin Pass Road, Wong Tai Sin	3157 0118	2354 2267
	Robert Black General Out-patient Clinic	600 Prince Edward Road East, San Po Kong	3157 0113	2383 3311
	Yau Ma Tei Jockey Club General Out-patient Clinic	1/F, 145 Battery Street, Yau Ma Tei	3157 0880	2272 2400
New Territories	Lady Trench General Out-patient Clinic	213 Sha Tsui Road, Tsuen Wan	3157 0107	2614 4789
	Lek Yuen General Out-patient Clinic	G/F, 9 Lek Yuen Street, Sha Tin	3157 0972	2692 8730
	North District Community Health Centre	North District Family Medicine Clinic, 3/F, North District Community Health Centre Building, No.3 Wai Wo Street, Sheung Shui	3157 0965	2957 5186
	Tai Po Jockey Club General Out-patient Clinic	G/F, 37 Ting Kok Road, Tai Po	3157 0906	2664 2039
	Tseung Kwan O (Po Ning Road) General Out-patient Clinic	G/F, 28 Po Ning Road, Tseung Kwan O	3157 0660	2191 1083
	Tuen Mun Clinic	11 Tsing Yin Street, San Hui, Tuen Mun	3543 0886	2452 9111
	Yuen Long Jockey Club Health Centre	269 Castle Peak Road, Yuen Long	3543 5007	2443 8511

 
Service hours: 9am to 1pm and 2pm to 5pm
  read more

     The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) today (December 30) appealed to members of the public to keep venues clean and mind their safety while celebrating New Year’s Eve.
 
     The LCSD will work with other government departments to implement a series of measures on New Year’s Eve to maintain cleanliness and safety at LCSD venues including the Hong Kong Cultural Centre (HKCC) Piazza, Salisbury Garden, the Avenue of Stars, Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade, Middle Road Children’s Playground, Tsim Sha Tsui East Waterfront Podium Garden, Urban Council Centenary, Kai Tak Sky Garden, Kwun Tong Promenade and Cha Kwo Ling Promenade along the Kowloon waterfront, as well as Tamar Park, the Central and Western District Promenade (Central Section), the Wan Chai Temporary Promenade and East Coast Park (Phase 1) on the waterfront of Hong Kong Island, where large crowds are expected to participate in countdown and celebration activities. 

     An LCSD spokesman said, “In crowded areas, people should remain calm and be mindful of their own safety.”
 
     The public announcement systems at the HKCC will also broadcast anti-littering and crowd management messages in Cantonese, Putonghua and English on a regular basis during the holiday. Crowd control measures will be implemented at the HKCC Piazza, Salisbury Garden, the Avenue of Stars and the Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade based on actual conditions. Members of the public are advised to pay attention to the announcements, follow the instructions of the duty personnel and mind their safety.

     To facilitate the implementation of special crowd management measures in the Tsim Sha Tsui area, the Hong Kong Museum of Art will close earlier at 5pm on December 31. read more

     â€‹     The Health Bureau (HHB) today (December 30) encouraged dentists who wish to participate in government-subsidised primary healthcare programmes to enlist in the Primary Care Directory (PCD) and join eHealth as soon as possible to provide their patients with subsidised services under the relevant programmes.

     To further implement the policy direction set out in the Primary Healthcare Blueprint and enhance the quality of services, starting from January 2, 2025, dentists participating in government-subsidised primary healthcare programmes such as the Elderly Health Care Voucher Scheme (EHVS) and the Primary Dental Co-care Pilot Scheme for Adolescents, to be launched in the first quarter of 2025, must have been enlisted in the PCD. Moreover, from the same day onwards, all dentists enlisted in the PCD must also join eHealth.

     A two-month grace period up to February 28, 2025, will be put in place for the implementation of the new requirements. Those dentists currently participating in the EHVS but are yet to be enlisted in the PCD by the end of the two-month grace period will no longer be able to offer their patients subsidised services under the scheme. Members of the public are advised to enquire with their dentists or check online to confirm if their dentists have been enlisted in the PCD to ensure that they can continue to receive relevant subsidised services through the same dentist in the future. 

     As recommended in the Blueprint, all healthcare professionals providing primary healthcare services are required to be enlisted in the PCD to ensure that they receive continuing medical education or take part in continuing professional development programmes relevant to their disciplines, thus enhancing the quality assurance of primary healthcare services. At present, the relevant requirement is applicable to doctors participating in government-subsidised primary healthcare programmes, and will be extended to cover dentists starting from January 2, 2025. In addition, the Blueprint also recommended that all primary healthcare service providers must use eHealth to improve data connectivity and health surveillance, and facilitate care co-ordination and cross-sector collaboration, with a view to strengthening the quality and continuity of medical services. To this end, under the new requirement, all dentists enlisted in the PCD must join eHealth to implement the recommendation of the Blueprint.

     To minimise the impact on the citizens enjoying the subsidised services concerned, the HHB has been keeping close communication with the dental profession through different channels since June this year to enable them to get a grasp of the new requirement details in a timely manner and assist them in enlisting in the PCD and/or joining eHealth as necessary. A two-month grace period will also be provided to allow sufficient time for dentists to complete the enlistment procedures. 

     Members of the public may visit the website of the PCD at apps.pcdirectory.gov.hk/public/EN to check whether their dentists are enlisted, apart from approaching their dentists directly.

     The PCD is a web-based database of practice information and professional qualifications of primary healthcare service providers in the community. It enables members of the public to look for service providers’ information such as their practice addresses, telephone numbers, consultation hours, service provisions as well as their participation in various government-subsidised programmes before choosing a doctor, dentist or Chinese medicine practitioner according to their personal needs.

     As at the end of November this year, a total of 1 049 dentists were enlisted in the PCD. The Government encourages all dentists who provide primary healthcare services to enlist in the PCD to offer citizens co-ordinated and person-centred primary healthcare services in a comprehensive and continuous manner. read more

     The Office of the Communications Authority (OFCA) today (December 30) announced that starting from tomorrow (December 31), local mobile service providers will send voice alerts to local mobile and fixed services users for calls made from newly activated local prepaid SIM cards to further assist the public in staying vigilant against suspicious calls.

     “Under the new measure, when local mobile and fixed services users answer calls made from newly activated local pre-paid SIM cards, mobile service providers will first play a voice alert message stating, ‘This call is made from a new pre-paid SIM card,’ before the call is connected, to raise users’ awareness of suspicious calls. The alert message service is provided by mobile service providers free of charge. Users are not required to register in advance, install any mobile apps, or make any settings to their mobile phones or fixed-line phones,” a spokesman for OFCA said.

     To safeguard the integrity of telecommunications services and the security of communications networks, OFCA has been working closely with telecommunications service providers and law enforcement agencies to devise and implement a series of measures to tackle the problem at its source. These include the full implementation of the Real-name Registration Programme for SIM Cards, the introduction and expansion of the SMS Sender Registration Scheme, the provision of voice or text alert service for incoming calls from outside Hong Kong with caller numbers prefixed with “+852”, the blocking of suspected fraudulent phone numbers and websites based on the information provided by the Police, and requiring telecommunications service providers to continuously optimise their network management and promptly suspend the service of suspicious phone numbers, in order to comprehensively combat fraudulent calls and messages.

     The spokesman reminded members of the public to always stay vigilant when using telecommunications services. They should not answer unknown calls casually, and should not disclose personal information or transfer money to unknown callers whose identities have not been verified to prevent potential losses.

     OFCA will continue to collaborate with the telecommunications industry and law enforcement agencies in implementing various measures to combat phone and SMS scams, as well as to strengthen public education and publicity efforts to more comprehensively disseminate anti-deception messages to all members of the public. To enhance public understanding of the new voice alert service, OFCA has launched a new series of television and radio announcements in the public interest to promote the measure. The public may also visit OFCA’s thematic website for more information on preventing phone scams. read more