Last updated: 2026-09-23
The question most people ask first
My mother or father is a member of the North District, Yuen Long, Tuen Mun Wu Hong, Tsuen Wan, Kwai Shing, San Po Kong, Yau Ma Tei, Shau Kei Wan or Aberdeen Elderly Health Centre. What happens after 5 October?
The short answer: keep any appointment you already have. The Department of Health states that members with a booked health assessment, chronic disease follow-up or test "should continue to attend their respective EHCs on the scheduled dates", and follow-up arrangements are not affected (Department of Health integration page). After that visit, staff will explain whether later care moves to a District Health Centre or the Hospital Authority.
If your parent is waiting for a health assessment with no date yet, the service will be provided at a District Health Centre from December 2026 (same page).
One more thing you can do: register free as a District Health Centre member. The official wording is that existing members "are encouraged to register as DHC members free of charge"; it is not a requirement. But after integration, chronic disease follow-up and health assessments are all arranged through the District Health Centre, so registering early is advisable (same page, FAQ 5).
Which 9 centres go first, and which 9 later?
| Phase | Centres | Timing |
|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 | North District, Yuen Long, Tuen Mun Wu Hong, Tsuen Wan, Kwai Shing, San Po Kong, Yau Ma Tei, Shau Kei Wan, Aberdeen | From 5 October 2026; expected completion Q1 2027 |
| Phase 2 | Sai Ying Pun, Wan Chai, Kowloon City, Lam Tin, Nam Shan, Tung Chung, Tseung Kwan O, Lek Yuen, Tai Po | Expected by 2027-28, "Depending on the progress of service integration rollout" |
Sources: Department of Health integration page; Government press release, 18 August 2026
Members of Phase 2 centres: keep any booked health assessment, follow-up or examination on its scheduled date. If your parent is waiting for a health assessment with no date yet, keep waiting; the centre will notify you by telephone or post when it is your turn (integration page). Registering as a District Health Centre member does not depend on this and can be done at any time.
If my parent has a chronic condition followed at the Elderly Health Centre, where do they go next?
The press release and its Annex 2 set out two situations, depending on whether the elderly person is also followed at a Hospital Authority Family Medicine Clinic (Primary Healthcare Commission press release; Annex 2, service flow):
- Followed only at the Elderly Health Centre: attend the scheduled follow-up; as Annex 2 puts it, "After follow-up appointment, District Health Centres/District Health Centre Expresses will co-ordinate the follow-up arrangements." From 5 October, once registered and assessed, the member can enter the treatment phase of the Chronic Disease Co-Care Scheme directly and choose a community family doctor. Scheme details: our Chronic Disease Co-Care Scheme guide.
- Also followed at a Hospital Authority Family Medicine Clinic: care continues at the Family Medicine Clinic, so there is no need to attend two places.
CSSA recipients, Old Age Living Allowance recipients aged 75 or above, and holders of a valid medical fee waiver certificate have a separate arrangement that is not limited to people already followed for a chronic condition. Upon registering as DHC members, they will "be arranged to receive preventive elderly health services and assessments at designated HA FMCs" (press release); Annex 2 describes this as "preventive screenings and chronic disease management services at HA's FMCs". "Subject to their eligibility, the relevant fees may be fully or partially waived."
During the transition, if an Elderly Health Centre member has a minor episodic illness such as a cold, they are included in the priority groups for HA's Family Medicine Outpatient (FMOP) service and may make priority bookings for FMOP episodic consultations via the eHealth mobile application (District Health Centre integration page). Among the official sources checked for this article, this point appears only on the District Health Centre website. General booking steps for Family Medicine Clinics: our guide to booking a Family Medicine Clinic.
When does the new health assessment start?
The official pamphlet states that the new health assessment service is "To be launched in the district health network in December 2026", covering "cognition, mobility, nutrition, vision, hearing, psychological capacity and urinary problem, with further investigations into underlying causes based on clinical indications" (official pamphlet; Annex 2 also shows health assessment "from December 2026"). The pamphlet also says that "For elderly health assessment services received at nurse clinics and for consultations with family doctors under CDCC Scheme, the Government will provide a subsidy, and you will only need to pay the designated co-payment".
For appointment arrangements and the amount of the co-payment, the pamphlet says: "Please refer to notification letter or contact DHCs for details". The official sources checked for this article do not state the co-payment amount for this assessment.
What is a District Health Centre, and does it cost anything?
District Health Centres are coordinated by the Primary Healthcare Commission and run by non-governmental organisations. There are 10 centres plus 8 transitional "District Health Centre Expresses" (centre list, Express list).
District Health Centres run different programmes, and charges depend on the programme; there is no single price. The table lists only what the official sources state:
| Item | Charge | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Membership registration | "Registration and membership are free. The membership is lifelong." | DHC "General Public", Q1 |
| Health education and group activities | Free | Official pamphlet |
| Elderly health assessment at nurse clinics; family doctor consultations under the CDCC Scheme | Government-subsidised; you pay the designated co-payment | Official pamphlet |
| CSSA, Old Age Living Allowance aged 75 or above, valid medical fee waiver certificate, when arranged to HA Family Medicine Clinics | Full or partial fee waivers based on eligibility | Official pamphlet; press release |
For the Chronic Disease Co-Care Scheme's subsidy and co-payments, the scheme's own page is authoritative (CDCC "Subsidy & Co-Payment"). Subsidised sessions are also capped: "the maximum number of sessions for different DHC programmes has been set", and "Beyond the maximum number of subsidised sessions, the client has to pay the fees charged by the Network Service Provider" ("General Public", Q3 and Q4).
Things to note:
- eHealth is mandatory. A member must be a holder of the Hong Kong Identity Card issued under the Registration of Persons Ordinance or the certificate of exemption (excluding holders whose permission to remain has expired or ceased to be valid), and agree to enrol in the Electronic Health System (eHealth); withdrawing from eHealth ends the membership ("General Public").
- Elderly Health Care Vouchers can be used: "Clients who have participated in the Elderly Health Care Voucher Scheme can pay for DHC services from their Health Care Voucher accounts" ("General Public", Q6). How vouchers work: our Elderly Health Care Voucher guide.
- "Individual allied health services require medical referral from the Family Doctor. Self-referral will be accepted for Chinese medicine services." ("General Public", Q7)
Three ways to register: the eHealth app, the information point inside the Elderly Health Centre, or in person at a District Health Centre (integration page, FAQ 5).
What does the Elderly Health Centre charge now?
The Department of Health has two web pages with different figures. The dh.gov.hk fee schedule is the version revised on 1 January 2026 and is the one to rely on; the elderly.gov.hk fee page still shows the old figures dated 13 December 2021 and has not been updated.
| Item | Eligible persons | Non-eligible persons |
|---|---|---|
| Annual fee (health screening, excluding mammography, and health promotion services) | $110 | $770 |
| Each attendance for medical treatment (excluding prescriptions, radiology imaging and laboratory investigations) | $150 | $500 |
| Each attendance for injection and dressing | $50 | $250 |
| Prescriptions (per item, up to 4 weeks) | $5 | $40 |
| Radiology imaging (per item): Basic / Intermediate (including mammography) | Free / $250 | $400 / $1,600 |
| Pathology testing (per item): Basic / Intermediate | Free / $50 | $400 / $800 |
Sources: Department of Health fee schedule, Elderly Health Service, which notes: "The charge at (b) does not include, where appropriate, the costs of prescriptions, radiology imaging service and laboratory investigations." Effective date on the fee overview page. Old figures (treatment $50, injection $19, mammography $225) are on the elderly.gov.hk fee page.
Waiver: "Fees will be waived for Comprehensive Social Security Allowance (CSSA) recipients and those with medical waiver." (elderly.gov.hk fee page). This clause appears on the old fee page; the new dh.gov.hk page does not list it. The dh.gov.hk fee overview says only that the Director of Health has powers, "in his discretion to waive, reduce or remit the whole or any part of the fees". Its absence from the new page does not show that the waiver has ended.
What the official sources checked do not specify
The following are not specified in the Department of Health and Primary Healthcare Commission web pages, the press release (including its annexes) or the official pamphlet checked for this article. If in doubt, call the enquiry line or your centre rather than relying on rumour:
- Whether Elderly Health Centre membership converts automatically to District Health Centre membership
- Whether and how existing Elderly Health Centre records will be transferred to the District Health Centre or family doctor (District Health Centre members' clinical information is shared among service providers through eHealth with the member's consent; that mechanism is not the same as an automatic transfer of old Elderly Health Centre records)
- Whether annual fees already paid will be refunded or credited
- Whether the 18 Visiting Health Teams are affected
The government says letters will be sent to members about the integration and follow-up arrangements (integration page). Where your parent's care goes next is set by that letter and by what staff explain; registering as a District Health Centre member does not need to wait for it.
Why is this happening?
The official rationale: once integration is complete, service points are expected to rise from 18 to more than 100, and annual capacity from about 54,000 elderly persons to more than 120,000 (press release, 18 August 2026). Another piece of context: since 4 May 2026, Elderly Health Centres have offered consultations and vaccinations only on designated weekdays (Elderly Health Centre contact page).
Three things adult children can do
- Check the appointment card: if there is a date, attend as planned. Nothing needs changing.
- Set up an eHealth account for your parent if they do not have one, then register them as a District Health Centre member.
- Look out for letters from the Department of Health and the Primary Healthcare Commission during 2026, and call the enquiry line with any questions.
Information verified on: 2026-09-23
Official enquiries: Primary Healthcare Co-care Network enquiry line 2157 0500 (9 am to 9 pm, Monday to Saturday, except public holidays); or call your Elderly Health Centre.
This article is health information, not medical advice.
Sources
Dates below are the dates these sources were accessed for this article, not publisher update dates.
- Department of Health, Elderly Health Service, "Elderly Health Centre Service Integration" (Service Arrangements and FAQs 2 to 5): https://www.elderly.gov.hk/english/elderly_health_centres/ehc_integration.html (accessed 2026-09-23)
- Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region press release, "Primary Healthcare Commission to integrate Hong Kong's primary healthcare services for elderly people in phases" (18 August 2026): https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202608/18/P2026081800303.htm (accessed 2026-09-23)
- The same press release, Annex 2 (service flow): https://gia.info.gov.hk/general/202608/18/P2026081800303_555183_1_1787029240253.pdf (accessed 2026-09-23)
- Primary Healthcare Commission, District Health Centre website, "Integration of the Primary Healthcare Services for the Elderly": https://www.dhc.gov.hk/en/ehsintegration.html (accessed 2026-09-23)
- Primary Healthcare Commission, District Health Centre website, "General Public" (eligibility; Service Package and Fee Q1, Q3, Q4, Q6 and Q7; Sharing of Information through eHealth Q1 and Q2): https://www.dhc.gov.hk/en/general_public.html (accessed 2026-09-23)
- Primary Healthcare Commission, District Health Centre website, "District Health Centre (DHC)" and "DHC Express": https://www.dhc.gov.hk/en/dhc.html, https://www.dhc.gov.hk/en/dhc_express.html (accessed 2026-09-23)
- Primary Healthcare Commission, Elderly Health Service Integration pamphlet (document code PHCC-EHS-202608-v1.0): https://www.dhc.gov.hk/files/ehs/pamphlet.pdf (accessed 2026-09-23)
- Primary Healthcare Commission, Chronic Disease Co-Care Scheme, "Subsidy & Co-Payment": https://www.primaryhealthcare.gov.hk/cdcc/en/gp/join_cdcc_co_payment.html (accessed 2026-09-23)
- Department of Health, "Fees and Charges for Public Health Care Services provided by the Department of Health — Elderly Health Service" (fees effective 1 January 2026; page dated 1 Jan 2026): https://www.dh.gov.hk/english/useful/useful_fee/useful_fee_ehs.html (accessed 2026-09-23)
- Department of Health, "Fees and Charges for Public Health Care Services" (fee adjustment from 1 January 2026; the Director's discretion to waive, reduce or remit): https://www.dh.gov.hk/english/useful/useful_fee/useful_fee.html (accessed 2026-09-23)
- Department of Health, Elderly Health Service, "Fees and Charges for Elderly Health Centres (with effect from 13 December 2021)": https://www.elderly.gov.hk/english/elderly_health_centres/fees.html (accessed 2026-09-23)
- Department of Health, Elderly Health Service, "Elderly Health Centres" (contacts and service days from 4 May 2026): https://www.elderly.gov.hk/english/contactus/elderly_health_centres.html (accessed 2026-09-23)
- Department of Health, "Elderly Health Service" (the 18 Visiting Health Teams; page dated 1 Oct 2019): https://www.dh.gov.hk/english/main/main_ehs/main_ehs.html (accessed 2026-09-23)