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collaboration and resource sharing between GBA have since begun establishing pilot districts
Guangdong and Hong Kong, yielding results in the for international traditional Chinese medicine.
health care talent training, exchange initiatives, and Hong Kong has proposed the establishment of the
successful medical research. Significant progress first Chinese medicine hospital, at the same time
has also been made in the mutual recognition of putting in place the practice of Chinese medicine by
medicine and medical equipment between Hong Hong Kong and Macau traditional Chinese doctors
Kong and Guangdong Province, making it more in the public health care service providers in the
convenient to meet the medical needs of the cross- Chinese mainland. 204 Hong Kong and Macau
border elderly. Chinese doctors have practiced or started their own
practice in Guangdong Province. The 11 GBA cities
3.1.2. High-quality, high-standard and diverse have established a notable presence of growing
cross-border elderly care services bases for Chinese medicinal herbs, demonstrating
scaled, regularized and intensified cultivation of
As the transportation infrastructure of the GBA Lingnan-specific herbs. These efforts are supported
continues to improve, the regional transportation by Guangdong Province’s commercialization
network, consisting of the High Speed Rail, highways platforms, where Chinese medicinal herbs are
and metro etc., has become highly effective. It is now traded internationally. Efforts are also underway to
much more convenient for the elderly residents unify the standards in traditional Chinese medicine
of Hong Kong and Macau to travel between their within the 11 GBA cities, promoting internationally
homes and the cities in Guangdong Province. Hong recognized standards. The Guangdong Medical
Kong has collaborated with Shenzhen to establish Products Administration has driven innovative
numerous cross-border elderly care communities developments in the regulation of medical products
that offer high-quality, affordable services to the and medical equipment, resulting in the approval
elderly of Hong Kong. These communities are of 10 Hong Kong and Macau Chinese topical
typically equipped with comprehensive health medication products for registration and market
care, rehabilitation and entertainment facilities, entry in the Chinese mainland. Two Hong Kong
along with professional caring services meeting the Chinese medications underwent cross-border
diverse needs of the elderly. Starting in November production and are now available for sale in the
2024, the number of residential care organizations Chinese mainland. As the system and institutions
for the elderly participating in the Guangdong of the Chinese medicine highlands mature, more
Residential Care Services Program will increase health care service providers and health care talent
from four to eleven . This expansion provides will be drawn to these opportunities. The Chinese
4
more options for those waitlisted for subsidized medicine highlands of the GBA are posed to lead
residential care programs and open to receiving the development of Chinese medicine specialties,
in the Chinese mainland. This program pays part education reform and technological innovations in
of the related health care costs for the enrolled the traditional Chinese medicine sector.
elderly individuals, offering dedicated attention to
help them adjust well in Guangdong. The Guangdong Province, the Hong Kong SAR
and the Macao SAR have reached the Framework
3.1.3. A healthy GBA: forging partnerships in Agreement on Health Cooperation in the
health care and public health Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area,
as well as signing the Consensus of Guangdong-
In 2020, the National Administration of Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Health
Traditional Chinese Medicine issued The Cooperation. These agreements aim to facilitate
Establishment Plan for the Chinese Medicine the sound development of the relevant industries
Highlands in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao in the GBA, envisioning a robust and integrated
Greater Bay Area (2020-2025). The 11 cities of the health care community. On this basis, Guangdong,
Hong Kong and Macau have cooperated closely in
4 Guangdong Home Care Service Plan> Source: De- opening health care facilities. The Nansha district
partment of Civil Affairs of Guangdong Province, Social of Guangzhou has established the first family
Welfare Department of Hong Kong Special Administra- medicine outpatient clinic, with “Hong Kong doctors
tive Region Government

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