The Hong Kong SAR Government announced that, starting 9 November, its Pilot Scheme for Direct Cross-boundary Ambulance Transfer will cover two additional mainland hospitals—Zhuhai People’s Hospital and the Nansha Division of the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University. The scheme, launched in 2024 to move patients point-to-point between Shenzhen/Macao and Hong Kong, has already transferred 17 patients without the time-consuming handover at land checkpoints.
Health Secretary Professor Lo Chung-mau said the extension reflects growing demand for seamless medical mobility as residents increasingly live, work and retire across the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA). Pre-implementation drills held in September and October confirmed that paramedic protocols, customs clearance for drugs and devices, and real-time data sharing between hospital control centres were ready.
![Cross-boundary ambulance pilot expands to Zhuhai and Nansha, easing medical transfers in Greater Bay Area]()
For Hong Kong employers, the expansion offers faster access to tertiary care on both sides of the boundary and could be factored into staff mobility policies, expatriate medical insurance and emergency-response plans. HR managers should verify whether their insurers will cover cross-boundary ambulance costs and whether staff need separate mainland health coverage when treated in Zhuhai or Guangzhou.
Officials added that a one-year extension of the pilot until 29 November 2026 will allow time to prepare genuine two-way transfers—meaning Hong Kong patients could also be sent directly to designated mainland facilities. That could eventually relieve bed-pressure in Hong Kong public hospitals and facilitate specialised rehabilitation stays in lower-cost mainland centres.
Health Secretary Professor Lo Chung-mau said the extension reflects growing demand for seamless medical mobility as residents increasingly live, work and retire across the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA). Pre-implementation drills held in September and October confirmed that paramedic protocols, customs clearance for drugs and devices, and real-time data sharing between hospital control centres were ready.
For Hong Kong employers, the expansion offers faster access to tertiary care on both sides of the boundary and could be factored into staff mobility policies, expatriate medical insurance and emergency-response plans. HR managers should verify whether their insurers will cover cross-boundary ambulance costs and whether staff need separate mainland health coverage when treated in Zhuhai or Guangzhou.
Officials added that a one-year extension of the pilot until 29 November 2026 will allow time to prepare genuine two-way transfers—meaning Hong Kong patients could also be sent directly to designated mainland facilities. That could eventually relieve bed-pressure in Hong Kong public hospitals and facilitate specialised rehabilitation stays in lower-cost mainland centres.
