No.1 for Expats
NowCompare the market & find
out how much you can save
News
August 22
Emergency medical services in Hong Kong are provided by the Hong Kong Fire Service, in cooperation with two other voluntary organizations
The Hong Kong Fire Service is the statutory provider of emergency ambulance service in Hong Kong, as mandated by regulations from the Legislative Council. The service has a considerable history but was only amalgamated into a single unified service in 1979 when previous government ambulance operations were merged with those of the fire service. The service employs some 2200 people and operates approximately 256 emergency ambulances and 35 motorcycles from 36 depots, located strategically around the Hong Kong territory. In 2006, the service responded to more than 575,000 emergency calls and transported approximately 514,000 people to the hospital. In addition, the service operates a number of rapid response vehicles and four heavy truck-based Mobile Treatment Centers. The service provides emergency transport to the 14 publicly operated Hong Kong Hospital Authority facilities which operate Accident and Emergency departments. The service follows the Anglo-American model (as opposed to the Franco-German model) of EMS service provision. It is rare to see a physician at the scene of an emergency.
The statutory service is supplemented by two organizations St. John Ambulance, a charity organization, and the Auxiliary Medical Service, a government-run voluntary service. Both of these services focus primarily on providing coverage to special events, and on public education, although both have written agreements with the statutory service to provide additional ambulances during a disaster.
Air Ambulance
In Hong Kong, all air ambulance service is provided by the Government Flying Service; a joint service providing aviation support to all departments of the government. The service operates from two bases (the current and former Hong Kong airports, Hong Kong International Airport and Kai-Tak Airport. While the service employs a number of different types of aircraft, those used for both air ambulance service and search and rescue service are primarily of the Puma and Super-Puma types. The physical terrain is such that most level areas are densely populated and heavily built up. As a result, air ambulance operations usually involve those communities which are isolated either in the mountains or on offshore islands, with an occasional rescue at sea or medevac flight from a ship. Medical personnel to support such flights are provided by the Hong Kong Fire Service, as required.
Standards Vehicles
The majority of ambulances in Hong Kong are originally of British design; a reflection of Hong Kong's long association with Britain. As a result, the design of the majority of ambulances approximately corresponds to the European Standard CEN 1789 as published by the European Committee for Standards with respect to vehicle design and equipment, although not with the visual identity provisions. Until recently, most vehicles corresponded with the European Class B design, although current vehicle acquisitions more closely resemble the Class C design. Given that Hong Kong has never been a member of the European Community, it appears likely that the approximate compliance is coincidental. In addition, the service operates a handful of vehicles for isolated areas where full-sized ambulances have difficulty in traveling. These are known locally as 'village ambulances'. In terms of visual identity, all ambulances in Hong Kong are white in body color and are equipped with flashing blue lights and with sirens. The emergency ambulances operated by the Hong Kong Fire Service display red livery, while those of the voluntary agencies display green livery. All of the emergency ambulances of the Hong Kong Fire Service carry advanced life support (ALS) equipment, while those of the volunteer agencies do not. All Hong Kong ambulances carry Automatic External Defibrillators.
Dispatch
As with many things in Hong Kong, the dispatch of emergency vehicles continues to be influenced by the British legacy. The telephone number for emergency services throughout Hong Kong is 999, just as in Britain. All 999 calls are answered by the Hong Kong Police Force. If an ambulance is the only response required, the call is passed directly to Hong Kong Fire Services dispatchers. If the call information is complex, as with a traffic accident, the police dispatchers will notify the ambulance service when they suspect that ambulances might be required. Both ambulances and fire apparatus are co-dispatched by the Hong Kong Fire Service dispatchers. The system operates technologies and decision support software that are approximately equivalent to those found in Europe and North America.
Response times
The objective of the Hong Kong Fire Service is to have an ambulance on the scene of an emergency within twelve minutes of receiving the request, 24 hours per day. They are currently achieving that objective on more than 93 percent of all emergency calls. The current dispatch system in Hong Kong does not categorize ambulance calls by medical acuity, although there are plans to introduce this measure in the future.
August 19
Find Global Health Insurance
If you have decided to find global health insurance then NowCompare can help you by comparing the…
August 19
Who Can Help Me Find Health Insurance
If you are an expat in Hong Kong and you are looking for health insurance, NowCompare is the perfect…
August 19
Health Insurance Products
There are many different types of health insurance products available to expats in Hong Kong.
Expat Reviews
Your service is second to none, thank you for your support.
Thank you for helping me find the best saving plan.
If anybody asks me where to get the best deals, I will tell them to call NowCompare.
Very happy with the service that I received. The claims team handled everything for me and it was so fast.
Very fast response to what I needed. Supportive staff who care about what has happened and want to make it better as quick as they can.
They are very supportive, keep me updated with information and have lots of extra benefits.
Very responsive great customer service, settled claim within a day, money in my bank account the next day7. Friendly, helpful and professional staff.