Chief Executive John Lee outlined today that under its First Five-Year Plan Hong Kong will enhance social well-being and refine the social protection framework.
Launching the plan, he said the Government will address challenges arising from demographic changes and pursue enhancements across various policy areas, including education, social development and healthcare.
In terms of advancing Hong Kong’s education, the plan’s commitments include promoting the progressive integration of AI into learning, teaching and assessment, and fostering a humanistic spirit of “Technology for Good” among students and through the curriculum.
Digital education will be strengthened across mathematics, science and technology, with teachers being given more scope to cultivate innovation among children. The compilation of teaching materials and the mechanism for reviewing textbooks will be enhanced.
At the same time, efforts will be made to nurture a new generation of students with both an affection for China and Hong Kong and a global perspective, and to cultivate cross-functional and multi-skilled talent by advancing the high-quality development of vocational and professional education and training.
The five-year plan also seeks to foster the development of young people, women, families and a harmonious society.
Youth development opportunities will be enhanced through support for exchanges, internships and employment, as well as entrepreneurial endeavours, while women will be empowered to realise their potential and pursue high-quality career development.
Family values will be promoted, and family bonds, education and traditions strengthened, while Hong Kong’s religious communities will be supported to sustain their efforts in fostering social harmony and inclusion. The Government will also strengthen communication with and facilitate the development of rural communities, and enhance support for ethnic minorities.
In the area of healthcare, the plan aims to improve governance and infrastructure and deepen reforms.
A sustainable governance system for primary healthcare will be developed, along with co-ordinated and coherent multi-disciplinary, evidence-based service and referral standards. The synergised development of the family doctor system will be enhanced across both public and private sectors through the establishment of a statutory register of primary healthcare service providers.
In addition, the number of cumulative beneficiaries of District Health Centres is to reach one million within five years, and resource allocation for primary healthcare programmes will be steadily increased to about 30% above the current level by 2030-31.
Meanwhile, reforms to the public healthcare service subsidisation structure will be deepened, so as to enhance the protection for “poor, acute, serious, critical” patients on all fronts and make the healthcare system more sustainable.
On healthcare infrastructure, works projects under the First Hospital Development Plan will be launched, with the total number of hospital beds under the Hospital Authority reaching about 35,000 in 2031, and the number of operating theatres reaching about 360.
Also under the plan, the disease prevention and control system and smart anti-epidemic measures will be strengthened. An “integrated epidemic management system” will be built to consolidate frontline defence against communicable diseases.
Visit Part 5 of Hong Kong’s First Five-Year Plan for more details.