
Electronic service for terminally ill patients' life-sustaining treatment choices to roll out as early as next year
Hong Kong authorities announced that advance medical directives for terminally ill patients will be made available electronically on the eHealth platform as early as next year, moving beyond the current paper format.
AI-generated summary
Advance medical directives currently exist only in paper form in Hong Kong.
Hongkongers will be able to create advance medical directives electronically, setting out which life-sustaining treatments they do not wish to receive when terminally ill on the city’s eHealth record platform as early as next year, authorities have said.
In a written reply to lawmakers on Wednesday, Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han said the electronic service for advance medical directives, which currently exists only in paper form, would be rolled out “in phases”.
After consulting government units including the Health Bureau, he said eHealth would serve as the designated electronic system for residents to make, store and revoke a directive.
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Roll out electronic advance medical directives on eHealth platform
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