Gov’t establishes Primary Healthcare Commission 

It will enhance coordination by reviewing outpatient services with the Hospital Authority.

The government has announced the establishment of the Primary Healthcare Commission (PHC Commission) under the Health Bureau, replacing the Primary Healthcare Office. 

Pang Fei-chau will lead the commission, responsible for overseeing service supply, setting standards, ensuring quality, and coordinating personnel training in primary healthcare.

The PHC Commission will plan and allocate resources with the Strategic Purchasing Office to strengthen primary healthcare services. 

The government will also introduce new legislation to grant the commission statutory powers, including defining service providers, auditing quality, setting standards for private providers, and establishing a quality assurance mechanism.

The commission's tasks will focus on three main areas. It will coordinate services and enhancing cross-sector collaboration by reviewing outpatient clinic services with the Hospital Authority, reorganise Woman and Elderly Health Centres with the Department of Health, strengthen District Health Centres, and explore a community drug formulary and pharmacy program.

In terms of quality assurance, the commission will manage patient referrals using a protocol-driven care pathway and connect DHCs through eHealth, including developing an eReferral system for real-time case management.

Moreover, the commission will also create a Primary Care Register with qualification and training requirements for healthcare professionals, work with academic institutions to provide ongoing training, and explore incentives to attract professionals to primary healthcare.

Secretary for Health, Prof. Lo Chung-mau said that the Department of Health will continue its role in public health strategy and regulatory functions.

“Under the policies formulated by the PHC Commission, the authority will focus on providing an essential safety net to the socially disadvantaged, in particular those who lack the means to pay,” he said.

“Such division of work will facilitate the positioning of primary healthcare as the foundation of the pyramid of healthcare services, and the gatekeeping the delivery of specialised secondary and tertiary healthcare services in hospital and healthcare institution settings," Lo added.