The first district health centre in Hong Kong will start service on September 25, marking a key step forward in primary healthcare service provision in the city, Secretary for Food & Health Prof Sophia Chan said.

Prof Chan spoke to the media today about the progress and future plans of primary healthcare, noting the centre in Kwai Tsing will be run by a public-private partnership and medical-social collaboration.

She said the district health centre is to change the treatment-led focus of healthcare services and enhance the public’s awareness of disease prevention and their self-health management capability, with a view to relieving pressure on specialist and hospital services in the long run.

Suitable sites are being identified in the 18 districts to build more health centres.

“In the coming future, first of all, we have to find very quickly more land or more places, venues to house our district health centres. We have already put in place - the next two lots of centres would be in Sham Shui Po and also Wong Tai Sin.”

More details about district health centres are available here.