For the first time, traditional Chinese medicine preparations from mainland medical institutions have crossed the border to Macau for use. The "Hong Kong Macau Medical Device Connect" has achieved full coverage in nine mainland cities in the Greater Bay Area, and cross-border ambulance services between Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macau... In recent years, Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macau have continuously deepened the connection of medical service rules and mechanisms, and continued to build a high-quality and efficient health service system. The blueprint for the "Healthy Bay Area" outlined in the "Outline of the Development Plan for the Guangdong Hong Kong Macau Greater Bay Area" is accelerating its formation. Currently, Guangdong is working together with Hong Kong and Macao, guided by the health needs of the people in the Bay Area, with the goal of shaping a 'healthy Bay Area', and with the three links of 'medical, talent, and medical equipment' as the starting point, resonating with each other and taking the initiative to promote the high-quality development of health in the Greater Bay Area Liu Liqun, Director of the Guangdong Provincial Health Commission, said. Medical connectivity benefits people's livelihoods. On November 30th, the Guangdong Hong Kong cross-border direct ambulance service was officially launched. Ambulances with license plates from Guangdong and Hong Kong can be transported through point-to-point customs clearance from the University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Hospital to designated public hospitals in Hong Kong. This will significantly reduce the clearance time for patient transportation and minimize the risks for patients during transportation. Previously, there were no direct land cross-border ambulance arrangements between Hong Kong and mainland China for transporting patients, and patients could only be transferred at the port through a "vehicle to vehicle" mode. This year, the medical transportation between Guangdong and Hong Kong has achieved a breakthrough from "vehicle to vehicle" to "point-to-point". This is a microcosm of the continuous promotion of "soft connectivity" in medical cooperation in the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area. With the acceleration of medical integration in the Greater Bay Area, the number of Hong Kong and Macao residents seeking medical treatment in the north has increased. According to data from the Guangdong Provincial Health Commission, in 2023, there will be 30575 hospitalizations of Hong Kong and Macao residents in Guangdong, an increase of 125.6% and 58.6% respectively compared to 2018 and 2019. The elderly healthcare voucher scheme launched by the Hong Kong SAR government in 2009 will be expanded to 8 medical institutions and 9 service points in Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhongshan, Dongguan and other places this year. Hong Kong seniors can use medical vouchers to pay for medical services at 85 specialized clinics in 15 designated departments at the main campus of Sun Yat sen University Affiliated First Hospital and 24 specialized clinics in 14 designated departments at Nansha Campus, which are included in the first batch of pilot list. It's really great to be able to use elderly medical vouchers in Guangzhou Mrs. Huang, a Hong Kong resident living in Guangzhou, said that after completing the procedures at Zhongshan First Hospital, doctors will issue bills using elderly medical vouchers for reimbursement, which is very convenient. At present, the preparation work for the opening of Hong Kong's first traditional Chinese medicine hospital is accelerating, and it is planned to be put into service in stages from the end of next year. As a close partner of the hospital, Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine provides comprehensive technical support to Hong Kong Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital. In March 2023, Zou Xu, Director of the Intensive Care Medicine Department of Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, went to Hong Kong as a "visiting scholar of traditional Chinese medicine in the Greater Bay Area". Over a period of about three months, he and several Guangdong traditional Chinese medicine experts visited multiple public hospitals in Hong Kong, providing integrated Chinese and Western medicine treatment plans for hospitalized patients and conducting inpatient clinical training for Hong Kong traditional Chinese medicine practitioners. Zou Xu said that Chinese medicine practitioners in Hong Kong mainly work in outpatient clinics and have limited opportunities to interact with hospitalized patients. One of the key focuses of his and his colleagues' work in Hong Kong is to enhance the ability of Chinese medicine practitioners in treating hospitalized patients. Liu Liqun introduced that in recent years, Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao have jointly launched the "Greater Bay Area Medical Talent Exchange Program", dispatching medical personnel to provide on-site services to Hong Kong and Macao patients in public hospitals in Hong Kong and Macao, and strengthening communication and cooperation in clinical practice. As one of the first medical personnel to go to Hong Kong for this program, Yang Shifang, Deputy Director of the Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine Department of Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, conducted minimally invasive surgery with colleagues from Hong Kong at Queen Elizabeth Hospital to treat patients with refractory pneumothorax. She said that the exchange of medical talents in the Greater Bay Area has enabled healthcare professionals from mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau to progress together. As of now, Guangdong has dispatched a total of 266 medical personnel to participate in the program, including 57 doctors (including 13 Chinese doctors), 169 nurses, and 40 radiologists. At the same time, we also received infectious disease control, radiology (physics) specialists, and nursing teams from the Hong Kong Hospital Authority to come to Guangdong for learning and exchange. It has become common for people from Hong Kong and Macao to come to Guangdong to practice medicine. In August 2023, the Hengqin Guangdong Macao Deep Cooperation Zone officially implemented new regulations, allowing 15 eligible Macao medical personnel to provide medical services in medical institutions within the cooperation zone. The introduction of this new regulation has provided convenience for us to practice in Hengqin. Starting this year, I have been visiting Hengqin Hospital of the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University every week, "said Gao Jiaying, a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner in Macau. According to data from the Guangdong Provincial Health Commission, there are currently 43 Hong Kong and Macao funded medical institutions in Guangdong. 1307 Hong Kong and Macao residents have obtained mainland physician qualifications, and 262 Hong Kong and Macao physicians have registered for short-term medical practice in Guangdong. On October 25th of last year, Chinese medical institutions in mainland China used traditional Chinese medicine preparations for the first time across the border to Macau. Approved by the drug regulatory departments of Guangdong and Macao, the "Guangdong Macao Medical Institution Traditional Chinese Medicine Preparation Center" of the Guangdong Macao Cooperation Traditional Chinese Medicine Technology Industrial Park has taken the lead in coordinating the delivery of five approved cross-border Chinese medicine hospital preparations from Guangdong Provincial Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital to Macao, which will be received by Jinghu Hospital and gradually applied in clinical practice. Whether from the mainland to Hong Kong and Macao, or from Hong Kong and Macao to the mainland, high-quality medical resources from all sides are accelerating connectivity in the Greater Bay Area, continuously meeting the health needs of residents in the Greater Bay Area. In August 2021, Guangdong Province announced the list of the first batch of mainland designated medical institutions under the policy of "Hong Kong and Macao Drug and Equipment Access". After being approved by Guangdong Province, relevant mainland medical institutions can use drugs that are urgently needed clinically and have been listed in Hong Kong and Macao, as well as medical devices that are urgently needed clinically and have been purchased and used by public hospitals in Hong Kong and Macao and have progressiveness clinical applications. At present, Guangdong has announced the list of 45 designated medical institutions for the "Hong Kong Macau Medical Device Connect" in three batches, achieving full coverage in nine cities in the Greater Bay Area; Designated medical institutions imported and used 92 varieties of drugs and equipment from Hong Kong and Macau, providing services to nearly 10000 patients. Next, we will further deepen the connection of rules and mechanisms, promote the co construction and sharing of medical resources, deepen the cooperation in medical and health care among Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao, make the flow of medical resource elements smoother, and provide better medical services for the work and life of residents in the Greater Bay Area Liu Liqun stated. (New Society)