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Open sources, classified and cross-checked. 25+ stories.

HEALTH4d agoHead of Hong Kong’s new drug regulator pledges to build trust, push innovationThe head of Hong Kong’s new drug regulatory body has pledged to build a fully capable and globally trusted agency that will become a catalyst for medical innovation rather than merely acting as a “miniature version” of existing overseas models. Dr Li Zili, controller of the Hong Kong Centre for Medical Products Regulation (CMPR), said that while many other places in Asia, such as mainland China, Singapore and Japan, had established regulatory agencies long ago, Hong Kong had a distinctive...South China Morning Post
HEALTH4d agoLouie Shum’s death: heart disease in Hong Kong and what to do in an emergencyThe death of veteran Hong Kong stock market commentator Louie Shum Chun-ying has drawn public attention to heart disease, after a police source revealed he had a history of the condition as well as diabetes. Heart disease was one of the leading causes of death in Hong Kong, with more than 6,500 fatalities recorded in 2024, according to the Department of Health. While residents at risk should monitor their health and seek timely medical care, a local cardiologist stressed that bystanders could...South China Morning Post
HEALTH5d agoSchool bullying cases in Hong Kong rise 32% to nearly 500 a yearHong Kong schools handled an average of 496 bullying cases each academic year from 2022 to 2025 – a 32 per cent jump compared with the previous three years, according to the Education Bureau. A youth group attributed the increase to greater reporting driven by heightened mental health awareness, but also students struggling to distinguish playful jokes from bullying. According to the bureau, public primary and secondary schools recorded an average of 496 bullying cases each year between 2022 and...South China Morning Post
HEALTHOct 23Hong Kong elderly urged to stay indoors as air pollution spikes to serious levelsSevere haze in Hong Kong over the past two days has prompted a government warning of serious health risks, with experts urging the elderly and vulnerable to stay indoors until sunset. Air quality health risk levels at some of Hong Kong’s roadside monitoring stations rose on Wednesday and Thursday, with experts attributing the surge to elevated ozone levels caused by sunlight and high temperatures and warning that conditions were likely to persist over the next few days. On Wednesday afternoon,...South China Morning Post
HEALTHOct 22Falling child vaccination rates raise concern as Hong Kong flu deaths riseA senior Hong Kong health official has warned of a higher risk of influenza infection as vaccination rates fall and the city’s summer flu season stretches on, following the death of a second unvaccinated child from the virus. Centre for Health Protection controller Edwin Tsui Lok-kin issued the warning as Hong Kong’s current flu season, which began in June, showed no sign of easing. He said authorities were monitoring possible changes in how the virus spreads after two consecutive summer flu...South China Morning Post
HEALTHOct 22Health warning over beauty jabs using dead people’s skin following Hong Kong raidsExperts have warned of the infection risks associated with an anti-ageing beauty treatment known as “cadaver-derived skin injection” amid growing interest in the treatment, as authorities crack down on beauty premises offering services with unregistered products. The warnings came a day after the Department of Health revealed it had seized vials of an injectable product called Elravie Re20, which claims to contain human tissue, following raids on four beauty premises in the city on Friday and...South China Morning Post
HEALTHOct 195 hikers fall ill as hot weather grips Hong Kong on public holidayFive hikers fell ill in separate incidents across Hong Kong on Monday as hot weather gripped the city on the final day of the Chung Yeung Festival long weekend. In one incident at Po Pin Chau, a popular hiking destination in Sai Kung, a 62-year-old mainland Chinese woman was hiking with friends near the High Island Reservoir East Dam when she became dizzy and weak at about 10.30am. Suspected of suffering from heatstroke, she was rescued by the Government Flying Service and flown to hospital for...South China Morning Post
HEALTHOct 19Can Hong Kong become a new centre for frontier medicine?The article explores the potential for Hong Kong to establish itself as a leading hub for advanced medical innovation and development.South China Morning Post
HEALTHOct 18Elderly Hong Kong couple die in suspected suicide pact over Parkinson’s diagnosisHong Kong police are investigating a suspected suicide pact after an elderly couple were found dead in a public housing flat on Sunday, following the woman’s Parkinson’s disease diagnosis. Police received a report at 2.39pm on Sunday that a man and a woman had been found unconscious inside a flat at King Wing House in Shan King Estate in Tuen Mun. A tray of burnt charcoal was found at the scene. The couple, a 72-year-old man surnamed Cheung and a 69-year-old woman surnamed Tse, were rushed to...South China Morning Post
HEALTHOct 18Spirit of Hong Kong Awards finalist bridges the gap in accessible dental careHong Kong social worker Mark Cheung Kai-yuen is working to make dental care more accessible for cancer survivors, people with disabilities and children with special needs who often struggle to find suitable clinics. Through Smile Again, the social enterprise he co-founded with dentist Dr Ho Kwun-yin, Cheung has adapted both the facility and the way care is delivered, with wheelchair-friendly facilities, longer consultations and tailored communication approaches. Cheung is a finalist for the...South China Morning Post
HEALTHOct 16Hong Kong private healthcare providers face new rules to make fees more transparentPrivate healthcare providers in Hong Kong will have to make their charges more transparent under government measures to be introduced from August next year at the earliest, including requirements to publish bilingual fee schedules and annual billing statistics. The Health Bureau set out details of the proposed requirements for private hospitals and clinics in a document submitted to the Legislative Council on Thursday evening. The proposal was first floated in May last year. The measures will...South China Morning Post
HEALTHOct 15Hong Kong’s Hospital Authority appeals for liver donor for boy, 13Hong Kong’s Hospital Authority has appealed to the public for a liver donation for a 13-year-old boy suffering from severe liver failure who urgently needs a transplant. The authority, which is also seeking help from mainland China, said on Thursday evening that the boy, being treated at Queen Mary Hospital in Pok Fu Lam, was now in a serious condition. “The patient has been experiencing severe hepatic failure and developed severe complications including recurrent hyperammonemia and...South China Morning Post
HEALTHOct 14Spirit of Hong Kong Awards: mental health advocate who saved suicidal teenHongkongers can be struggling with severe mental health problems but still not be considered urgent cases, according to mental health advocate Minal Mahtani, who wants community groups to play a bigger role before individual cases reach crisis point. Mahtani, founder of OCD & Anxiety Support Hong Kong, said better referrals between hospitals, community mental health services and specialist charities could help people receive timely support while they wait for formal treatment. Her work has...South China Morning Post
HEALTHOct 13Therapy dogs in high demand: Hong Kong programme booked out until February 2027A Hong Kong therapy-dog programme run by one staff member and 65 volunteers with their dogs is fully booked until February 2027, as demand from schools, hospitals and elderly homes continues to outstrip the available visiting slots. Animals Asia’s Dr Dog and Professor Paws programmes rely on volunteers who give up their time, shoulder much of the cost of transporting their dogs and return regularly to venues across the city. “None of it would be possible without the volunteers,” said Karina...South China Morning Post
HEALTHOct 12Hong Kong steps up Russia arrival checks after Siberian lab worker’s deathHong Kong will step up health surveillance measures for arrivals after a laboratory worker at an anti-plague research institute in Russia died from pneumonia, but authorities have stressed the risk to residents remains low. According to World Health Organization (WHO) information provided by Russian authorities, there was no evidence of ongoing transmission, the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) said on Monday. Russian authorities previously stated ‌that the worker at the Irkutsk Antiplague...South China Morning Post
HEALTHOct 10Hong Kong records 21 mpox cases since August, high-risk groups urged to get jabsHong Kong has recorded 21 cases of mpox since August, accounting for 70 per cent of this year’s total, prompting health authorities to urge people who engage in high-risk sexual contact to take protective measures and get vaccinated to reduce their risk of infection. The latest case, involving a 29-year-old man, brought the total number recorded in Hong Kong this year to 30, comprising 23 local cases and seven imported ones, the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) said on Saturday. Twenty-one...South China Morning Post
HEALTHOct 9Spirit of Hong Kong Awards: youth-led charity supports young cancer patientsTimothy Chan Chi-fung was 19 when a testicular tumour sent him into a Hong Kong hospital system largely designed for children or much older adults. Neither door quite fitted. His experience eventually led him to found Youth Cancer Hong Kong, a contribution that has earned him a place as a finalist in the community category of this year’s Spirit of Hong Kong Awards. The awards, co-organised by Sino Group and the South China Morning Post, were launched in 2013 to recognise individuals and...South China Morning Post
HEALTHOct 760% of Hong Kong’s suspected student suicides involved children aged 15 or belowHong Kong education authorities have revealed that at least 60 per cent of suspected student suicide cases in the last three academic years involved children aged 15 or below, urging schools to avoid giving excessive homework so pupils can lead a balanced lifestyle. The Education Bureau also told lawmakers on Wednesday that school principals had directly referred 547 students at high risk of suicide to the public health system over the past 2½ years. On average, principals had referred about 17...South China Morning Post
HEALTHOct 5Hong Kong IVF clinic cleared to resume all services after embryo specimen mix-upA Hong Kong fertility clinic that had most of its services suspended for mishandling embryo biopsy specimens from two patients has been cleared to fully resume all treatments after implementing improvement measures. The Council on Human Reproductive Technology said on Monday that Heal Fertility in Central could resume all 17 treatment services covered by its licence from Tuesday, after members reviewed the findings of a follow-up inspection and confirmed the clinic had properly implemented the...South China Morning Post
HEALTHOct 4TCM or Western medicine for sports injuries? Why this Hong Kong athlete chose bothIn the third instalment of a four-part Health Matters series on traditional Chinese medicine, Aidyn Fitzpatrick speaks to a Hong Kong fencer studying TCM and local practitioners to see how athletes, both elite and amateur, are using TCM alongside Western medicine for smarter injury recovery. Fresh off helping Hong Kong clinch a bronze medal in the women’s foil team event at the 2026 Asian Games in Japan, fencer Janelle Leung Ya-lei – ranked 53rd in the world – knows the fine margin between peak...South China Morning Post
HEALTHOct 466% of Hong Kong’s 8-year-olds could be short-sighted by 2028, experts warnMore than 60 per cent of Hong Kong’s eight-year-olds could be short-sighted by 2028, optometrists have predicted, citing a shrinking “hyperopic reserve” that normally helps delay nearsightedness. The Hong Kong Association of Private Practice Optometrists released the findings on Sunday from a screening of more than 3,500 pupils at eight primary schools conducted between November and May, urging parents to begin comprehensive eye checks when children turned three. The association found that 67...South China Morning Post
HEALTHOct 4Hong Kong’s cancer research drawing global attention, says leading body’s chiefHong Kong is playing a central role as part of a broader regional hub for research breakthroughs, the head of a leading global cancer organisation has said, adding that the city’s success in reducing its smoking rate has set an example for others to follow. Cary Adams, CEO of the Union for International Cancer Control, praised the city’s tobacco control efforts as the organisation held the World Cancer Congress in Hong Kong last month for the first time. “We’ve all become aware globally that the...South China Morning Post
HEALTHOct 3‘Cancer saved me’: Hong Kong survivor finds new purpose ahead of canoe challengeThirty-one years ago, Hongkonger Raymond Lo Shu-yuen was diagnosed with stage four liver cancer and had a quarter of the organ removed. Now 75, Lo said the illness, despite its physical and mental toll, had taught him invaluable lessons about ageing, health and making the most of life. “I can say that the cancer itself saved me,” he said. “Why? If I did not have this illness, I would not have changed my past lifestyle such as working hard like a dog, eating a lot of junk food, doing no exercise...South China Morning Post
HEALTHSep 290.5% of nurses trained outside Hong Kong, authorities say amid hiring rowLess than 0.5 per cent of registered Hong Kong nurses received their training outside the city, while 99.8 per cent of those working in public hospitals are locally trained, health authorities have said amid a growing row with a trade union over employment concerns. The latest figures were released on Tuesday after the city’s health minister repeatedly rejected claims that authorities had favoured mainland Chinese nurses over local candidates. On Saturday, the Association of Hong Kong Nursing...South China Morning Post