The Health Bureau today announced that the Chronic Disease Co-Care (CDCC) Pilot Scheme will be expanded to provide blood lipid testing starting from March 28.

The scope of screening under the CDCC Pilot Scheme will be expanded to include blood lipid testing in addition to diabetes mellitus and hypertension screening, thereby achieving full coverage of the “three highs”. A plan to expand the pilot scheme was outlined in the Chief Executive's 2024 Policy Address.

The eligibility criteria for the scheme remain unchanged: eligible individuals are Hong Kong residents aged 45 or above with no known medical history of diabetes mellitus or hypertension.

Government subsidies for consultations, and a co-payment amount to be paid by participants, will remain at the current level.

If participants are diagnosed with hyperlipidaemia, they are entitled to a maximum of four subsidised consultations in the first year, and a maximum of two annually from the second year onwards.

The Primary Healthcare Commission will expand the scheme to designated General Out-patient Clinics under the Hospital Authority in three phases, in order to provide preventive screening for underprivileged patients. Blood lipid testing will be covered.

Additionally, podiatry services provided by dedicated nurse clinics and allied health services under the pilot scheme will be enhanced starting from April 15.

Separately, starting from April 15, more than 20 additional service points will be introduced across the city to provide dedicated nurse clinic and allied health services to eligible District Health Centre/Express (DHC/DHCE) members who have not participated in the CDCC Pilot Scheme.

The dedicated nurse clinics will provide initial assessments relating to osteoarthritis in the knees and back, muscle and joint function, basic self-management, and diet. They will also provide checks on common women’s health issues.

The allied health services will be provided by occupational therapists, Chinese medicine practitioners, physiotherapists, speech therapists and dietitians.

The co-payment model will be adopted for DHC/DHCE members receiving dedicated nurse clinic and allied health services.

The pilot scheme has received a positive response since its launch, with over 100,000 participants having joined the programme to date. As of March 12, about 62,700 participants had completed screenings. Around 24,200 of those were diagnosed with prediabetes, diabetes mellitus or hypertension and have entered treatment.