65 injured in fire discharged
The Health Bureau announced today that as of December 23, out of the 79 patients admitted to the Hospital Authority's (HA) hospitals following the fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, 65 had already recovered and were discharged, while the remaining 14 are in stable condition.
All individuals injured in the fire and admitted to public hospitals will receive full fee waivers for all necessary healthcare services throughout the entire process of their treatment and rehabilitation, the bureau added.
Moreover, till December 31, 2026, all residents including foreign domestic helpers of the eight blocks at Wang Fuk Court are eligible for full medical fee waivers for a number of the HA’s services. As of this Tuesday, the HA has provided such services to around 1,600 affected residents.
Separately, the bureau introduced a free family doctor service scheme and free Chinese medicine consultation services earlier this month, in order to support the residents’ primary healthcare needs. As of December 23, more than 300 private family doctors have participated, with 57 affected residents having been arranged to receive free consultations. Meanwhile, more than 360 Chinese medicine practitioners have participated, and 16 residents have been arranged to receive the services.
On December 23, free denture replacement services were also launched, with over 80 private dentists participating, covering 106 service points.
District Health Centres/District Health Centre Expresses across all 18 districts in Hong Kong have set up hotlines to provide personalised case management services for affected residents. The support includes pairing the residents with free medical consultation services, and co-ordinating arrangements for follow-up appointments with the HA. As of December 23, the hotlines have received over 176 enquiries.
Regarding mental health services, the bureau announced that from the time of the Tai Po blaze to December 23, the 18111 Mental Health Support Hotline has received over 8,300 calls, around 660 of which were related to the fire. The WhatsApp service has handled 420 messages, with about 50 of them concerning the fire.
The HA’s 24-hour Mental Health Direct hotline has received 89 calls related to the blaze, with 31 of them coming from affected citizens.