The Food and Health Bureau (FHB) today (March 8) said that the anti-epidemic proprietary Chinese medicines (pCms) donated by the Mainland had been distributed to members of the public through various channels over the past week or so. Noting that there has been a sudden upsurge in the demand for anti-epidemic pCms, the FHB stressed that the overall supply is stable and appealed to the trade not to hoard up anti-epidemic pCms. Members of the public can purchase for use according to their actual needs.
The FHB expressed its heartfelt gratitude to the Central People's Government for its ceaseless support to Hong Kong's anti-epidemic work in co-ordinating the delivery of anti-epidemic pCms to Hong Kong within a short timeframe. The move assisted Hong Kong in the fight against the fifth wave of the epidemic and demonstrated the deepest care extended by the Central People's Government to the people of Hong Kong.
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government is receiving a total of 450 000 boxes of anti-epidemic pCms donated by the Mainland during the first phase. Among the batches arriving in Hong Kong progressively (with the latest batch arriving in Hong Kong yesterday), about one third were distributed to the community through the Hong Kong Community Anti-Coronavirus Link and other organisations, about a quarter were distributed to residents subject to "restriction-testing declarations" through relevant government departments, and about a quarter were distributed at the community isolation facilities and 18 Chinese Medicine Clinics cum Training and Research Centres through the Hospital Authority (HA).
The FHB also appreciates the efforts of the HA and relevant government departments for their assistance in swiftly distributing the anti-epidemic pCms. The Mainland will support the supply of more pCms to Hong Kong, and the HKSAR Government will continue to widely distribute pCms to members of the public through more distribution channels, with a view to encouraging a joint effort to make good use of Chinese medicine in fighting the epidemic.
As regards market supply, the HKSAR Government noted that the supply of some pCm products was tight due to the sharp rises in demand within a short period of time. With the support of the Mainland, the production capacity and quantity for supply to Hong Kong have been significantly increased, and the overall supply will be stable. The HKSAR Government will continue to monitor the supply situation of the relevant pCm products in Hong Kong and closely communicate with the relevant suppliers to ensure a stable supply in the Hong Kong market.
The three pCms, namely "Lianhua Qingwen Jiaonang", "Jinhua Qinggan Keli" and "Huoxiang Zhengqi Pian", are recommended in the Mainland's "Diagnosis and Treatment Protocols for Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia", and widely applied in the anti-epidemic work in the Mainland. Under clinical guidance of Chinese medicine practitioners (CMPs), the relevant pCm could be used during the stage of medical surveillance, and treatment for patients with mild and common symptoms, subject to actual clinical conditions.
Different Chinese medicines are suitable for use having regard to the physique, cause of disease and medical conditions of different people. With a view to safeguarding health and medication safety, members of the public should seek professional advice from CMPs before consuming Chinese medicines.
Chinese medicine is an integral part of Hong Kong's healthcare system. The Government will continue to engage the Chinese medicine sector and the HA to further explore the way forward in supporting members of the public affected by the epidemic, including those under/pending quarantine and isolation, with a view to allowing Chinese medicine to give full play to its strengths and effects to a greater extent in the entire process of anti-epidemic and treatment efforts.
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