The Health Bureau announced today (Aug. 25) that the Hong Kong Chinese Medicine Hospital will roll out 24‑hour inpatient services from Dec. 11, as part of a broader expansion. Ten new specialist disease programmes will be added by year‑end, and the Voluntary Health Insurance Scheme will cover the hospital's inpatient care from next year.
Secretary for Health Professor Lo Chung‑mau said the hospital, as the city's Chinese medicine flagship, has seen strong public demand and positive feedback since opening last year. He noted that government‑subsidised outpatient quotas have already been raised four times in just over eight months. The new 24‑hour inpatient service, he added, marks a major step in moving Chinese medicine from primary to secondary and tertiary care.
The first phase will provide 93 inpatient beds, 20 clinical trial beds and 2 intensive care beds, with a total of 400 beds targeted by end‑2030. Outpatient visits are expected to rise from 140,000 in the first year to over 260,000 in the second, while day‑patient beds will increase from 25 to 35. Radiology (CT, MRI, ultrasound) and pathology services will also be expanded.
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