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How digital healthcare can help Hong Kong lower costs, improve efficiency and integrate better with the Greater Bay Area
- The upcoming launch of the new eHealth+ system aims to connect the entire Hong Kong healthcare ecosystem and help patients better manage their health
- Digital healthcare could bring cost savings, more efficiency, better data security and further integration with systems in the Greater Bay Area
Permanent Secretary for Health Thomas Chan Chung-ching recently announced the upcoming launch of the new eHealth+ system in the second half of this year. It aims to connect the entire healthcare ecosystem, including hospitals, primary healthcare service providers and citizens. The goal is to empower people to better manage their health and locate suitable medical services.
However, the motivation to use such solutions, no matter how well-designed, is not nearly as strong as using them to adhere to social distancing protocols. With millions having already downloaded the eHealth app, adding functionality can help get the most out of the existing user base.
In a way, the government needs to answer the call for upgrades to the existing architecture. Consumers are becoming less tolerant of ossified legacy systems that don’t support data transferability. How many have had the experience of rummaging through old files for physical records because of a lack of digital copies?
![A teacher at Heung To Secondary School in Tseung Kwan O reminds students to update their vaccination records on September 10, 2021. Photo: Dickson Lee](https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2023/04/25/da27e18f-4fbe-4401-b649-6160a3612365_81ead97e.jpg)
The government’s proposed improvements can achieve an even loftier goal. The city’s healthcare system has consistently been ranked among the best. For people choosing to relocate and work in the Greater Bay Area, access to top-quality healthcare – similar to Hong Kong’s – is likely to be a strong motivator.
This is only a small sample of the opportunities, though. To achieve scale and improve the lives of thousands of daily cross-border travellers, data must move seamlessly across all platforms in the Greater Bay Area – an ambition consistent with the goals stipulated in the Outline Development Plan for the region.
![The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital in Shenzhen. Photo: Handout](https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2023/04/25/6c7f82fa-ce54-4787-851c-d3ca7469a385_229b55a7.jpg)
As it evolves, Hong Kong’s eHealth+ system can pull ahead in the race to achieve regional unity for medical data. It might even serve as a template for other Greater Bay Area cities and better connect us with our neighbours.
As we enter the post-pandemic era with three years of painful experience fresh in our minds, we are long overdue for a data-friendly ecosystem that can direct Hong Kong’s response should another public health emergency arise. Calls for greater efficiency and better patient ownership in our healthcare system are getting louder.
However contentious it might seem at times, the relationship between technology and healthcare is a symbiotic one. The new eHealth+ system can help score some quick wins to help boost adoption in the city.
It is too early to tell whether this new system can fulfil its promise as an example of how we can work with technology to inspire a needed overhaul of Hong Kong healthcare. With new technology being released and adopted almost every day, though, we are close to finding out.
Adam Au is the head of legal at a Hong Kong-based healthcare group
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