The first of three Women Wellness Satellites (WWSs), located in Chai Wan, will begin operating on June 12, providing eligible women with prevention-based and more personalised primary healthcare services.
The Government announced earlier this year that women’s health services under the Department of Health would be integrated into the Primary Health Care Commission, with three WWSs being established.
The WWS (Hong Kong) is the first of the three satellites to start operating, and is located on 2/F, Chai Wan Health Centre, at 1 Hong Man Street.
It will open six days a week, with a minimum eight-hour service most days. The satellite will operate until 8pm two days a week.
Equipped with a health promotion and education room, doctor and nurse consultation rooms, and health assessment rooms, it spans a total floor area of about 380 sq m.
The WWS (Kowloon), in Lam Tin, and the WWS (New Territories), in Tuen Mun, are both expected to begin operating in September.
In the interim, the operator, Tung Wah Group of Hospitals, will establish two transitional service points, in Yau Ma Tei and North Point, to facilitate delivery of women’s health services.
The WWSs will provide health assessments, individual consultations, cervical and breast cancer screenings, and dedicated nurse clinic services to eligible women. When necessary, cases will be referred to family doctors for follow up.
Eligible women will receive a partial subsidy from the Government, and will have to pay a designated co-payment fee.
Women aged 64 or below who wish to use the services must first register as members of a District Health Centre (DHC) or District Health Centre Express (DHCE). As of June 1, over 680 women have received preliminary assessments through DHCs/DHCEs, with more than 600 arranging to receive services at the WWSs.
Furthermore, DHCs/DHCEs will arrange for women who are Comprehensive Social Security Assistance recipients or are subject to full or partial medical fee waivers by the Hospital Authority, to receive preventive care and health promotion services at seven selected public clinics.