Hong Kong teens to pay up to HK$780 at some private dental clinics in pilot scheme
Hong Kong teenagers taking part in a pilot subsidy programme for private sector dental services will have to pay as much as HK$780 (US$100) at some clinics when the scheme begins on March 20.
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The Department of Health said on Thursday it would continue to promote the Primary Dental Co-care Pilot Scheme for Adolescents among the profession, as only 114 dentists had enrolled in the programme to date.
The number accounts for only 4 per cent of the about 2,600 dentists practising in the city, most of whom are in the private sector.
'Some dentists have not joined the eHealth system and the primary care directory, which is why they are not yet eligible to join the scheme,' said Dr Kitty Hse Mei-yin, a consultant in charge of dental services at the department.
The eHealth system is the government's health data sharing platform accessed by both public and private healthcare providers, while the directory is a database of information on doctors, dentists and traditional Chinese medicine practitioners at the community level.
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The subsidy scheme, which aims to improve the oral health of adolescents, was first announced in the 2023 policy address.
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