Chief Executive John Lee today toured a public housing estate, an elderly centre and the 1823 Contact Centre in Sham Shui Po District to hear the public’s views ahead of the 2026 Policy Address.
During his visit to Un Chau Estate, Mr Lee met an elderly resident to learn about her experience with ambulatory care services. He noted that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government has been actively promoting these services, which allow suitable patients to undergo examinations and treatments with multidisciplinary support, enabling them to rest at home without the need for overnight hospital stays.
Ambulatory care services help reduce unnecessary hospitalisation and provide patients with more convenient treatment and services. Mr Lee added that this could enhance the service capacity and efficiency of the public healthcare system, while allowing more people to receive appropriate services at an early stage.
Earlier, the Chief Executive visited Kwong Wah Hospital to review the operation of its Ambulatory Orthopaedic Service Centre and its deployment of innovative technologies. He said the Hong Kong SAR Government is committed to deepening healthcare reform and enhancing service quality, particularly through the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to improve the accuracy and speed of clinical diagnoses.
Following the public estate tour, Mr Lee proceeded to the Un Chau Estate Baptist Church Elderly Centre to observe its activities and support services. Mr Lee said the Government has long upheld ageing in place as a core principle, and has continued to strengthen elderly support, including increasing the total number of Community Care Service Vouchers for the Elderly, and establishing three Neighbourhood Elderly Centres as announced in last year’s Policy Address.
The Chief Executive then visited the 1823 Contact Centre to observe how it leverages AI to expedite public enquiries, assistance requests and complaints. He said the centre’s active application of AI in receiving cases, data analysis and workflow assignments has enabled it to respond more quickly to assistance requests and complaints from the public, adding that he has asked the Digital Policy Office to continue leading 1823 in adopting innovative technologies to drive efficiency.
Mr Lee said the current-term Government remains committed to translating policy blueprints into tangible outcomes that develop the economy and improve livelihoods. He emphasised that direct community exchanges are vital for understanding public needs, adding that the insights gained will help formulate upcoming policy initiatives as he and his team continue to listen to views from all sectors of society.