The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:

     The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) wishes to alert members of the public in Hong Kong that Hong Kong National Bank as referred to on the website (https://hongk.qupayt.us/) does not have the authorization of the Monetary Authority under the Banking Ordinance (the Ordinance) to carry on banking business, or the business of taking deposits, in Hong Kong; and Hong Kong National Bank does not have the approval of the MA to establish a local representative office in Hong Kong under the Ordinance.

     Given the global nature of the Internet, members of the public are reminded to verify the status of any organisation making use of the Internet to offer bank accounts to, or to solicit deposits from, the public in Hong Kong prior to transferring any funds to, or providing any personal information to, any such organisation.

     A list of authorized institutions is available on the HKMA's website (www.hkma.gov.hk). Members of the public may also check the status of any entity which appears to be soliciting deposits from the public in Hong Kong, or holding itself out as a bank or deposit-taking company in Hong Kong, by emailing the HKMA's public enquiry service (publicenquiry@hkma.gov.hk).

     The Deputy Secretary for Justice, Mr Cheung Kwok-kwan, will lead a delegation of young lawyers comprising more than 30 members to visit two cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), Shenzhen and Foshan, tomorrow (November 16).

     Comprising young representatives of the Law Society of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Bar Association, young government counsel of the Department of Justice (DoJ), and students from the three law schools, the delegation will visit a court, law-related authorities and institutions, top-notch enterprises and a start-up incubation base for youth, to have a better understanding of the GBA's need for cross-jurisdictional legal services, the significance of innovation and technology on legal services as well as the importance of Hong Kong as a centre for international legal and dispute resolution services in the Asia-Pacific region.

     Mr Cheung said that young people are the future of Hong Kong. This visit follows the one to Huizhou, conducted by the DoJ with young lawyers in September, to continue to engage proactively with youth. The Department endeavours to support Hong Kong's new generation of the legal sector, including law students, by providing them with opportunities to acquire a deeper and wider understanding of the country's development, and encouraging them to better integrate into the overall national development and contribute to the rule of law development of the country proactively at an earlier stage. The destinations of the visit, Shenzhen and Foshan, are also the most preferred destinations for the Hong Kong legal sector to expand businesses in the GBA.

     Mr Cheung and the delegation will return to Hong Kong on November 18.

  

     Following is a question by Dr the Hon David Lam and a written reply by the Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, in the Legislative Council today (November 15):
 
Question:
 
     The Government once again proposed in the 2022 Policy Address to amend the Supplementary Medical Professions Ordinance (Cap. 359), so as to facilitate direct access of patients to services provided by physiotherapists and occupational therapists without a doctor's referral. Besides, the Panel on Health Services of this Council also discussed the legislative proposal to amend Cap. 359 at its meeting on 9 September 2022. However, it has been reported that the initiative to amend Cap. 359 has made no progress so far. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) of the latest progress of the legislative exercise to amend Cap. 359;
 
(2) whether it has drawn up an updated timetable for amending Cap. 359; if so, of the details; and
 
(3) as it has been reported that the supplementary medical professions have been eagerly expecting the amendment to Cap. 359 for a long time, whether the Government will make a positive response to the professions' aspirations and undertake to include the relevant bill in the 2024 Legislative Programme?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
     The consolidated reply to the question raised by Dr the Hon David Lam is as follows:
 
     The 2021 Policy Address mentions the need to strengthen the roles of healthcare professionals other than doctors in the local healthcare system (especially in the primary healthcare setting). The former Food and Health Bureau (FHB) (currently the Health Bureau (HHB)) would follow up with the statutory Councils and Boards of various healthcare professions on the recommendations in the Report of the Strategic Review on Healthcare Manpower Planning and Professional Development promulgated in 2017, including proposing legislative amendments to allow patients to have direct access to healthcare professional services (e.g. physiotherapy and occupational therapy) without a doctor's referral. 
 
     To follow up on the above-mentioned matter, the former FHB wrote to the Supplementary Medical Professions Council (SMP Council) in October and December 2021 respectively, urging the SMP Council and its Boards of supplementary medical professions (the Boards) to accord priority to discussing the above-mentioned matter, to work out feasible proposals for implementation after communicating with relevant stakeholders, including amending the relevant Codes of Practice, and to report their work progress by end of June 2022, so that the Government could take forward the relevant legislative amendment exercise in due course.
 
     The SMP Council replied to the Government in late June 2022 that they supported the policy direction of strengthening the roles of supplementary medical professionals in the local healthcare system. However, the expected timeframe to submit proposals with consolidated views from different parties was difficult to achieve, given the complexity of relevant matter and the engagement of most members of the SMP Council and its Boards from various healthcare professions in combating the fifth wave of the COVID-19 epidemic. In this connection, the HHB reported the progress at the Panel on Health Services of the Legislative Council (LegCo) in September 2022. The 2022 Policy Address delivered in October 2022 also mentioned under the section of primary healthcare that the Government would better utilise multi-disciplinary healthcare services, including amendment of the Supplementary Medical Professions Ordinance (SMPO) to facilitate direct access of patients to services provided by physiotherapists and occupational therapists without a doctor's referral.
 
     Subsequent to the discussion on the direct access arrangement for physiotherapists at the regular SMP Council meeting in February 2023, the SMP Council wrote to the HHB, summarising the different views of Council members and enclosing the proposal that the working group under the Physiotherapists Board submitted to the SMP Council for the Government's consideration. On the other hand, the Occupational Therapists Board discussed the direct access arrangement for occupational therapists in August 2023 and subsequently requested its working group to refine the proposal. Relevant work is still underway.
 
     Since the direct access arrangement involves various healthcare professions and requires the SMP Council and relevant Boards to provide recommendations, with the discussion process having been affected by the earlier COVID-19 epidemic, the legislative progress has thus been delayed.
 
     As mentioned in the 2023 Policy Address delivered in October 2023, the Government will also explore amending the SMPO to provide new pathways for admitting qualified non-locally trained supplementary medical professionals to serve in the Hospital Authority and the Department of Health. The new measures will be incorporated into the amendment bill to be proposed by the Government. The HHB has planned to report the latest progress at the LegCo Panel on Health Services in December 2023 and strives to prepare the amendment bill for consultation with stakeholders in 2024, with a view to introducing the bill into the LegCo as early as practicable.

     1823, managed by the Efficiency Office, was bestowed with The Ombudsman's Award for Public Organisations today (November 15) at the presentation ceremony of the 26th Ombudsman Awards in recognition of its quality services to the public. 1823 staff also received The Ombudsman's Award for Officer of Public Organisations for the 18th consecutive year.

     The Ombudsman's awards affirm that 1823 has handled complaints conscientiously, and clearly explained the causes of the issues concerned and provided detailed case records in response to the Ombudsman's inquiries. In cases where the investigations target other departments, 1823 still actively renders assistance by providing data and insights to help the Ombudsman fully understand the details of the case.

     Separately, 1823 also received the Silver Award for Best Customer Centre in Technology Application and the Bronze Award for Best Customer Centre in Digital Transformation at the 24th Hong Kong Customer Contact Association Awards Ceremony held on November 3. These two awards are a testament to the achievements of 1823 in applying innovation and technology over the years to provide quality services to members of the public.

     Since its inception, 1823 has been committed to providing one-stop services to the public. In addition to answering public enquiries for participating departments, 1823 handles public complaints about any area of government services and actively follows up on the progress of departments' responses. For complaints that may involve multiple departments, 1823 will liaise with the relevant departments to ensure that the complaint is handled properly and promptly. During the fifth wave of the COVID-19 epidemic last year, which brought unprecedented challenges to 1823, there has been a huge surge in public enquiries on the Government's anti-epidemic measures and services, with many 1823 colleagues being infected or required to be quarantined at home at the same time. This being so, through flexible arrangements and active application of innovative technologies, 1823 had taken a host of contingency measures so that it could not only maintain its original services, but also manage to answer additional anti-epidemic hotlines.

     Looking ahead, 1823 will keep improving service quality and efficiency through the application of innovative technologies.  In his Policy Address delivered last month, the Chief Executive stated that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government will press ahead with the digitalisation of government services, including the expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot services in the 1823 enquiry service to further improve service quality and efficiency. The other artificial intelligence projects being pursued by 1823 include:

• use of generative artificial intelligence technology to assist in drafting responses to public written enquiries, followed by further checking by staff before making replies;
• applying AI speech-to-text solutions to convert voicemail messages from the public into text so that 1823 staff can handle public enquiries and complaints more efficiently and effectively; and
• upgrading of the telephony system to allow citizens to use voice input options when calling 1823, and the use of speech recognition technology to identify the caller's enquiry subjects to provide relevant information by phone and distribute textual information via SMS.

     The scope of 1823 service covers most citizens' daily livelihood issues. Apart from calling 1823, members of the public can contact 1823 through a variety of channels, for example:

• mobile application;
• electronic web form and chatbot; and
• email: tellme@1823.gov.hk.

        

     Following is a question by the Hon Nixie Lam and a written reply by the Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, in the Legislative Council today (November 15):

Question:

     The winter influenza peak season this year is the first influenza peak season after the lifting of the mask mandate, and it is learnt that quite a number of members of the public have made early arrangements to receive seasonal influenza vaccines (SIVs). Some private doctors participating in the Vaccination Subsidy Scheme (VSS) of the Department of Health have indicated that there is already a shortage of SIVs. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) of the respective current numbers of residential care homes for the elderly, residential care homes for persons with disabilities, primary schools, as well as kindergartens and child care centres which have participated in the seasonal influenza vaccination programmes of the current year, and the respective numbers of persons who have received vaccination to date;

(2) of the amount of the Government's expenditure on the procurement of SIVs, and the total amount of subsidies for seasonal influenza vaccination it provided to private doctors participating in VSS, in each of the past three years;

(3) of the measures put in place to ensure that there are sufficient SIVs to meet the demand of members of the public; and

(4) whether it has projected the overall virus activity in the winter influenza peak season of the current year, and of the respective levels which seasonal influenza vaccination uptake rates among the elderly and children need to reach before they will suffice to build an immunity barrier; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Reply:

President,

     As announced in early November, the summer influenza season in Hong Kong which started in late August this year ended.  However, a high chance for seasonal influenza surge in the coming months and possible co-circulation of COVID-19 and influenza is expected against the backdrop of Hong Kong's first winter after the lifting of mandatory mask-wearing requirement. During the summer influenza season this year, the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) recorded a total of 308 adult cases of intensive care unit (ICU) admission or death with laboratory confirmation of influenza, in which 203 of them were fatal. About 60 per cent of severe cases did not receive influenza vaccine. For children, a total of 15 severe cases, including one fatal case, were recorded. Among these 15 children, 11 did not receive influenza vaccine.

     Seasonal Influenza vaccination (SIV) is one of the most effective means to prevent seasonal influenza and its complications. It also reduces influenza-related hospitalisation and death. Given that influenza vaccines are safe and effective, all persons aged six months or above, except those with known contraindications, are recommended to receive influenza vaccination for personal protection against influenza and its complication, and to reduce the risks of related hospitalisation and death. To boost our citizens' immunity, the Department of Health (DH) has been administering various vaccination programmes/schemes to provide free or subsidised SIV to eligible persons. Channels for vaccinations include public and private clinics, residential care homes and school outreach vaccination service.

     The reply, in consultation with the DH, to the questions raised by the Hon Nixie Lam is as follows:

(1) The Seasonal Influenza Vaccination Subsidy Scheme (VSS) 2023/24 was launched on September 28, 2023 whereas the Government Vaccination Programme (GVP), the Seasonal Influenza Vaccination School Outreach (Free of Charge) Programme (SIVSOP) and the Residential Care Home Vaccination Programme (RVP) commenced on October 5.

     As at November 5, a total of 816 Residential Care Homes for the Elderly (RCHE) and 326 Residential Care Homes for Persons with Disabilities (RCHD) have participated in the RVP, with a total of about 9 500 residents received influenza vaccines (representing a 24 per cent increase when compared with the same period of last year), including about 8 000 RCHE residents and about 1 500 RCHD residents.

     Besides, a total of about 340 secondary schools, 570 primary schools and 870 kindergartens, kindergarten-cum-child care centres and child care centres participated in the SIVSOP or the VSS School Outreach (Extra Charge Allowed) this year. As at November 5, about 249 100 children aged 6 months to under 18 years old have received influenza vaccines under various vaccination programmes (representing a 41.6 per cent increase when compared with the same period of last year).

     Since the launch of various influenza vaccination programmes, about 1 054 400 doses of vaccine have been administered as at November 5 (representing a 25.7 per cent increase when compared with same period of last year). The number of persons in target groups vaccinated under the GVP, VSS and SIVSOP in the past three years are as follows:
 

Note 1: Only where accurate population statistics are available for the group.
Note 2: In 2022/23, eligible groups of SIV programmes were expanded to include Hong Kong residents less than 18 years or secondary school students.
Note 3: Eligible pregnant women, persons with chronic medical problems, healthcare workers, poultry workers, pig farmers or pig-slaughtering industry personnel.
Note 4: As children under 9 year old who have never received SIV should receive two doses, the total number of vaccine recipients would be slightly lower than the total number of doses vaccinated.

 (2) The total number of doses and contract amount of influenza vaccines procured for the GVP, SIVSOP and RVP in the past three years are as follows:
 

 
Note: The Government procures the vaccines by means of open tender. Owing to the COVID-19 epidemic, the price per dose of SIV increased substantially in 2021/22 and the price level decreased gradually in the subsequent years of 2022/23 and 2023/24. 

     The total amount of subsidies provided to private doctors participating in the VSS in the past three years are as follows:
 

Note: The subsidy was $240 per dose in 2021/22 and $260 per dose for 2022/23 and 2023/24. 

(3) The Government has all along been encouraging the public to receive vaccination early. Eligible persons, especially the elderly and children, should receive free or subsidised SIV early in public healthcare system or by private doctors and clinics under the VSS through various government programmes. 

     The DH will endeavour to ensure a stable supply of influenza vaccines for various vaccination programmes. The DH has procured a total of about 929 000 doses of influenza vaccines for the 2023/24 vaccination programmes, comprising about 592 000 doses of inactivated influenza vaccine under the GVP; about 316 000 doses of inactivated influenza vaccine and about 21 000 doses of nasal spray live attenuated influenza vaccine under the SIVSOP for eligible high-risk groups to receive vaccination free-of-charge in phases. The Government makes an estimate based on the number of persons covered by the eligible groups in that year with reference to the past vaccination rates before ordering the influenza vaccines every year. The Government has included flexible clauses in the tender documents for the procurement of influenza vaccines to ensure that the order amount can be appropriately adjusted in response to demand. Relevant vaccine suppliers have also undertaken to ensure a steady supply of vaccines procured by the Government. Eligible groups may continue to receive free or subsidised vaccination through various Government programmes.

     Besides, it is the usual arrangement for participating doctors to purchase influenza vaccines themselves under the VSS and VSS School Outreach (Extra Charge Allowed). Private doctors will order influenza vaccines from vaccine suppliers for the upcoming season from April to June every year. Vaccine suppliers are now supplying influenza vaccines in phases to private doctors who have placed pre-orders. In view of recent demand for influenza vaccines by members of the public, the vaccine suppliers have arranged the allocation of additional doses for private doctors who have not ordered influenza vaccines in advance or the order quantity is insufficient. Those influenza vaccines have been gradually supplied to Hong Kong starting from early November. According to past experience and depending on the situation, while ensuring the sufficient supply for the Government's vaccination programmes, the Government would co-ordinate vaccine suppliers to reallocate some of the vaccines reserved for the Government to the private market. 

(4) The CHP has been conducting systematic surveillance of the local influenza situation and regularly publishes data on relevant surveillance indicators and the latest assessment of local influenza activity in the weekly publication "COVID-19 & Flu Express". Since the lifting of the mandatory mask-wearing requirement, there have been two influenza surge in Hong Kong, from April to May and from August to October this year respectively. Based on historical data, seasonal influenza surge usually arrives in winter (around late this year to early next year).

     In 2022/23, a total of 1.56 million doses of vaccines were given under all SIV programmes. This represented an increase by 25 per cent as compared with 2021/22. This was attributable to concerted efforts of citizens, the DH, the Hospital Authority and private doctors engaged through the private-public partnership programme. The vaccination rate among residents of RCHEs stood at 78 per cent through efforts of visiting medical officers, while that of community elders increased by 8 per cent to 48 per cent. The vaccination rate among school students below 12 however dropped slightly by 3 per cent to 50 per cent.

     While there is no specific vaccination rate of SIV as recommended by the experts in the relevant Scientific Committee, a higher vaccination rate among high risk group can offer better protection against severe cases of influenza. As aforementioned, the vaccination rate of various influenza vaccination programmes increased as compared to the same period of previous year, the Government would continue to promote influenza vaccination. Receiving influenza vaccine early could safeguard the health of individuals and their families. The Government recommends all persons aged six months or above except those with known contraindications to receive influenza vaccine. Moreover, getting infected with influenza and COVID-19 at the same time will be more likely to result in serious condition or even death. Citizens may consult healthcare personnel when receiving influenza vaccine and arrange for COVID-19 vaccination in due course for better self-protection.