The Civil Engineering and Development Department (CEDD), the Drainage Services Department (DSD) and the Highways Department (HyD) have received Martin Barnes Awards from the New Engineering Contract (NEC) Users' Group of the United Kingdom. An awards presentation ceremony was held by the Group today (June 27) to commend Hong Kong awardees for their excellence in project delivery through collaborative partnering by adopting the NEC form.
      
     The CEDD and the DSD received the Winner Award under the Demonstrating Carbon Dioxide Reduction Initiatives towards Net-zero category and the Recognising Project Excellence and Innovation category respectively. The CEDD and the HyD also received a Runner up Award or Highly Commended Award under various award categories.
      
     Speaking at the awards presentation ceremony, the Permanent Secretary for Development (Works), Mr Ricky Lau, congratulated the works departments on their outstanding achievements and said that the Government's wide adoption of the NEC form in public works projects over the years has enhanced the performance of project implementation.
      
     The Development Bureau piloted the use of the NEC form in public works projects in 2009 and has expanded its application since then. As of today, more than 570 public works contracts, with a total value of over HK$380 billion, have adopted the NEC form which embraces collaborative partnering between clients and contractors, thereby enhancing project performance.
      
     The Martin Barnes Awards are presented annually by the NEC Users' Group under the Institution of Civil Engineers of the United Kingdom to give recognition to projects, organisations and individuals around the world that have showcased excellence in project delivery through collaborative partnering. This year, over 50 entries from across the world participated in this event.
      
     The full list of the awardees was announced in the United Kingdom on June 21 and is available on the website of the NEC Users' Group at www.neccontract.com/projects/awards.

        

　　The Department of Health (DH) today (June 27) announced that the coverage of the Elderly Health Care Voucher (EHCV) will be extended to the First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou (FAH-SYSU) starting from tomorrow (June 28). This will be another service point where Hong Kong elderly persons eligible for EHCVs can use them for outpatient healthcare services in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) on top of the two current service points operated by the University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen (HKU-SZ) Hospital at its hospital and the Huawei Li Zhi Yuan Community Health Service Center (CHC). Starting from the same day, eligible elderly persons have to register with eHealth before they can use EHCVs at the designated GBA medical institutions.
　　 
　　The FAH-SYSU is the first medical institution providing integrated services to launch the relevant arrangements under the EHCV GBA Pilot Scheme (Pilot Scheme). Starting from tomorrow, elderly persons will be able to use EHCVs to pay for outpatient healthcare services provided by the following 15 designated departments of the FAH-SYSU: Department of Internal Medicine, Department of Surgery, Department of Gynecology, Department of Ophthalmology, Department of Otolaryngology, Department of Stomatology, Department of Dermatology, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Department of Neurology, Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Nutrition, Health Management Center and Department of Emergency Medicine.
　　 
　　Starting from tomorrow, elderly persons can undergo identity verification and registration at the counter on the west side of the Medical Service Center, 1/F, Building No.1 of the FAH-SYSU. Elderly persons can also make appointments via the FAH-SYSU official mobile application "Appointment Booking for Hong Kong Elderly Health Care Voucher" or through the self-service machine located in the FAH-SYSU. Upon attending a medical appointment, elderly persons should first visit in person the west side of the Medical Service Center, 1/F, Building No.1 of the FAH-SYSU, and show a valid Hong Kong Identity Card or Certificate of Exemption issued by the Immigration Department to go through relevant procedures and identity verification. Elderly persons can then make registration at the counter on-site or through the appointment platform. After receiving outpatient services at the designated departments, elderly persons can use EHCVs to pay the relevant fees at the relevant cashier of the department (e.g. the Outpatient Cashier located on 4/F, Building No.1) according to the instructions from the FAH-SYSU.
　　 
　　The fees for the healthcare services provided by the FAH-SYSU are denominated in Renminbi. The FAH-SYSU will make EHCV claims for elderly persons, and the EHCV amount deducted in Hong Kong dollars will be calculated according to a monthly updated voucher conversion factor under the EHCV Scheme. The FAH-SYSU will display the monthly voucher conversion factor at the abovementioned cashier offices for the elderly's reference.
　　 
　　A spokesman for the DH reminded, "Elderly persons cannot use EHCVs together with national medical insurance to pay the fees of the same healthcare service encounter. In addition, the scope of using EHCVs on the Mainland is the same as that in Hong Kong, which does not include inpatient services, prepaid healthcare services and day surgery procedures. EHCVs cannot be used solely for the purchase of goods, medication, medical equipment or products, nor can they be redeemed for cash."
　　 
　　The arrangements for shared use of EHCVs between spouses, as well as the EHCV Pilot Reward Scheme (Pilot Reward Scheme), apply equally to the Pilot Scheme. For the FAH-SYSU, the arrangements of the Pilot Reward Scheme are applicable to the following Departments: Department of Internal Medicine, Department of Surgery, Department of Gynecology, Department of Ophthalmology, Department of Stomatology, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Health Management Center and Department of Emergency Medicine. Elderly persons who use EHCVs for outpatient services on health check, preventive and follow-up/monitoring of long-term conditions provided by these nine designated departments of the hospital can accumulate their EHCV spending for receiving a Reward.
　　 
　　Moreover, also starting from tomorrow, Hong Kong elderly persons using EHCVs at medical institutions in the GBA have to register with eHealth. The relevant arrangements apply to the HKU-SZ Hospital, Huawei Li Zhi Yuan CHC, the FAH-SYSU, and the remaining six pilot medical institutions that will launch relevant arrangements under the Pilot Scheme in future. After joining eHealth, elderly persons can make use of its mobile app to check their EHCV balance and usage record, as well as access anytime important information such as their medications, allergies and adverse drug reactions stored in the eHealth app. This allows better record-keeping and management of their health and EHCV usage, and facilitates continuity of care provided by healthcare professionals.
　　 
　　In February this year, the Government included five medical institutions providing integrated services (all with dental services) and two dental medical institutions in the Pilot Scheme. The Government is actively carrying out preparatory work with the remaining six medical institutions included in the Pilot Scheme, and is making good progress. These six medical institutions will progressively launch the relevant arrangements starting from the third quarter. Details will be announced in due course.
　　 
　　Launched in 2009, the EHCV Scheme currently subsidises eligible Hong Kong elderly persons aged 65 and above with an annual EHCV amount of $2,000 (with the accumulation limit set at $8,000) for them to choose private primary healthcare services that best suit their health needs. Members of the public may browse the EHCV Scheme website (www.hcv.gov.hk) or call the EHCV Scheme hotline (2838 2311) for information on the EHCV Scheme.

     Police today (June 27) appealed to the public for information on a man who went missing in Tin Sum.

     Kwan Yuet-pui, aged 35, went missing after he was last seen in Hin Keng Estate on June 25 afternoon. His caretaker made a report to Police yesterday (June 26).
           
     He is about 1.8 metres tall, 72 kilograms in weight and of fat build. He has a round face with yellow complexion and short black hair. He was last seen wearing a white short-sleeved top, trousers and carrying a backpack.

     Anyone who knows the whereabouts of the missing man or may have seen him is urged to contact the Regional Missing Persons Unit of New Territories South on 3661 1176 or 5239 7701 or email to rmpu-nts-2@police.gov.hk, or contact any police station.

  

     â€‹Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK) announced that Gift Holdings Inc from Japan opened its first "Machida Shoten" ramen store in Hong Kong today (June 27), bringing authentic Yokohama style ramen to the city.

     The company joined the food and beverage mission co-​organised by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (Tokyo ETO) and InvestHK last April. Associate Director-General of Investment Promotion Dr Jimmy Chiang said, "I am happy to see the Tokyo ETO and InvestHK's joint initiative of bringing Japanese companies in the delegation last April paid off, as the companies came and saw for themselves the actual opportunities Hong Kong has to offer. I wish 'Machida Shoten' every success in Hong Kong and beyond."

     The Executive Vice President of Gift Holdings Inc Mr Tatsuya Sasajima said, "Our goal is to become the best ramen company in Japan and the world. We have been actively looking for opportunities to expand overseas since 2023. After visiting Hong Kong, we met our Hong Kong partner and decided to expand our business in the city."

     He introduced, "The Hong Kong store is located at Airside, Kai Tak, Kowloon. It will use some of the food ingredients delievered from Japan directly and follow the Japanese store's operational know-how under our business concept of 'To make Ramen as a gift to the world'. With a little twist on the interior design and the menu, offering Hong Kong store a unique style atmosphere and better cater local customers."

     He added, "Our first priority is to offer Hong Kong customers our signature Yokohama style ramen, which is made of rich pork bone soup, unique soy sauce, and our home-made thick noodles. We believe that we can promote the Yokohama style ramen culture to the world, especially in East Asia, via the Hong Kong store."

     To get a copy of the photo, please visit www.flickr.com/photos/investhk/albums/72177720318235630.
 
     For more information about Gift Holdings Inc, please visit www.gift-group.co.jp.

    

     The 24th Plenary of the Hong Kong/Guangdong Co-operation Joint Conference originally scheduled to take place in Guangzhou today (June 27) will be postponed to July as agreed by both the Guangdong and Hong Kong sides. The official date will be announced in due course.