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on the strategies, policies and programmes required. Our report offers insight into
local and international best practices and lessons in strengthening health systems

to enable it to be fit for purpose. This report also incorporates stakeholder voices
through one-on-one interviews and focus groups. We share their ideas and insights
about our health system as well as their hopes for what it could be.

MOVING FORWARD: HOW TO TRANSFORM
THE SYSTEM TO BE FIT FOR PURPOSE

Our vision of transforming Hong Kong’s health system aspires to produce
better care experience while positioning Hong Kong as a centre of excellence
for health. By leveraging existing advantages, proactively addressing systemic
weaknesses and seizing opportunities to develop modern and innovative
systems of care, Hong Kong will become fit for purpose to tackle 21 century
st

challenges. We take a health systems perspective when exploring a shift in
the health system towards one which delivers integrated person-centred care.
This visionary transformation is massive, complex and continuous. Careful
development of strategies to achieve the transformation is necessary and must
be continuously monitored and evaluated. Our snapshot of the status quo
creates a ready baseline for key actions as catalysis for our system forward, and
we highlight priorities for immediate action below. Our policy recommendations
cover three key areas: 1) enabling person-centred care; 2) achieving primary
care-led integrated care; and 3) health governance levers to facilitate the
transformation process.

1. ENABLING PERSON-CENTRED CARE —
WE NEED TO REORIENT THE HEALTH SYSTEM
FOR “THE COMMUNITY OF PERSONS”

1.1 PROMOTING PATIENT AND COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT,
ENGAGEMENT AND COPRODUCTION

Empowering patients and enhancing the role of the community at all levels of
service delivery are key to achieving a person-centred system. Continuous efforts
are necessary to move away from disease-focused and physician-centred
care to one which is person-centred where patients are facilitated to take
ownership over their own health. Initiatives that enable self-care, peer support,
and empowerment of families and communities, within the community need to be in
place. The Government should extend patient empowerment programmes to cover
not only a comprehensive range of diseases , but also go beyond this to focus on
1
persons with holistic needs in their health journey. At the same time, in improving
care experience and promoting coproduction in health, the wider community, which
has untapped resources to support health promotion and disease prevention, must
be involved in the value chain of service planning comprising a spectrum of actions
covering planning, designing, commissioning, management, delivery, monitoring
and evaluation of services.

1 For example, the DHCs plan to provide free community-based patient empowerment programmes for patients of specific
disease groups including diabetes, hypertension, musculoskeletal disorders, stroke rehabilitation, fracture hip rehabilitation and
cardiac rehabilitation.

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