The Hong Kong SAR government announced on the 29th that it, together with the Guangdong Provincial and Shenzhen Municipal governments, as well as the Macau SAR government, will officially launch a one-year "Greater Bay Area Cross border Direct Ambulance Pilot Program" on November 30th. The first phase of the pilot plan will first implement cross-border direct ambulance services to transport patients from designated delivery hospitals in Shenzhen and Macau (i.e. the University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Hospital and the Earl Grey General Hospital in Macau) to designated public hospitals in Hong Kong. Under the relevant mechanism, with the evaluation and approval of the designated cross-border cooperative hospital team, it is possible to arrange for the direct transportation of patients with specific needs and suitable clinical conditions between designated hospitals to Hong Kong in a "point-to-point" mode, without the need to transfer ambulances at the port, thereby reducing the risks of patients during transportation. The pilot plan has mechanisms to prevent abuse and ensure the safety of cross-border transportation. When handling each case, doctors from the delivery hospital will evaluate whether there is a need to arrange cross-border transfer based on clinical diagnosis and the actual situation of the patient. The Director of the Medical and Health Bureau of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, Lu Chongmao, stated that with the support of multiple national departments and the joint efforts of government departments in Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao, the pilot program was officially launched on the 30th. This marks a new level of high-quality healthcare cooperation and development in the Greater Bay Area. The Hong Kong SAR government will continue to deepen medical and health cooperation with other cities in the Greater Bay Area, further promote medical integration in the Greater Bay Area, and jointly build a "Healthy Bay Area". It is reported that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government conducted three exercises with the governments of Guangdong and Macao in August and October this year to test the cross-border arrangement of ambulances in simulating the transportation of patients. Based on the effectiveness and operational experience of the pilot plan, the next stage of expanding the plan will be considered. (New Society)