This service is another breakthrough in cross-border medical cooperation, following the “Hong Kong-Macau Cross-border Ambulance Trial Scheme” on November 30th last year and the “Zhuhai-Macau Cross-border Ambulance Service” in March of this year.
On August 27th, Nie Xinping, deputy secretary of the Hengqin Working Committee of the Guangdong Provincial Committee, and Leong Man Cheong, director of the Unitary Police Service of Macau, jointly signed the Memorandum of Understanding on “Hospital-to-Hospital” Cross-border Transfer Administrative Departments at the Hengqin Guangdong-Macau In-depth Cooperation Zone Civic Service Center.
Following the signing, an activation ceremony was held, where Fung Fong Dan, director of the Hengqin Bureau of Livelihood Affairs, presented a plaque to the Hospital Centre S. Januário of Macau, and Alvis Lo, director of the Macau Health Bureau, presented a plaque to the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Hengqin Hospital. This marked the official commencement of the cross-border ambulance service.
The new service adopts the same operational mechanism as the Hong Kong-Macau and Zhuhai-Macau services. It requires prior agreement between the transferring and receiving hospitals and prioritizes the patient’s medical needs and safety. An anti-abuse mechanism has also been established. This new mechanism will operate in parallel with the existing “vehicle-to-vehicle” transfer model, and cases that do not meet the cross-border conditions will continue to be handled by the original method.
