Hong Kong's Health Bureau says patient pairing for its Community Pharmacy Programme will begin by the end of October. The first phase will cover Eastern, Yau Tsim Mong, Sha Tin and Yuen Long districts.
Five pharmacies in each district have been selected near residential areas and shopping malls. Patients who join the pilot can collect medicines from a pharmacy they choose and ask pharmacists for medication counselling and health advice.
The programme also plans to offer refills. The government says that could help limit excess medicines at home and reduce risks from improper storage, misuse or waste. Those are intended benefits, not results measured so far.
As of October 7, more than 300,000 people had enrolled in Hong Kong's Primary Healthcare Co-care Network. The government plans to extend pharmacy services to all 18 districts in the fourth quarter of 2027.
