Lawmaker calls for special measures for patients seeking treatment in Hong Kong

Lawmaker Agnes Lam has suggested that the government provide a special avenue to allow Macau patients seeking medical treatment to travel to Hong Kong without needing to undergo quarantine.
In a written query submitted to the government, Lam stated that there have been a “considerable number of Macau residents” seeking her help because they are cut off from medical services in the neighboring city due to the border closure.
Owing to this dilemma, “they have no choice but to seek help from their relatives and friends in Hong Kong to purchase the medicine on their behalf, which, however, may not be delivered into Macau due to Macau’s control measures on imported drugs,” she added.
Therefore, the lawmaker suggests the governments of both sides collaborate and establish an exemption system exclusively for this particular group. The scheme would allow them to observe quarantine in Hong Kong hospitals upon arrival and undergo medical treatments at the appropriate time, she explained.
Lam added that the returnees should undergo the mandatory medical observation period after seeking medical treatments in Hong Kong.
Meanwhile, the government should consider giving permission to these people to receive necessary medicine shipped from Hong Kong, she urged.
In the statement, Lam asked for the government to provide relevant statistics, including the number of applications filed by the patients for an exemption from quarantine, and how many were approved.
This week, the governments of both Hong Kong and Macau already affirmed that they have not yet decided upon a commencement date for the Hong Kong-Macau travel bubble.
The timeframe for the intercity reopening has been derailed by the recent occurrence of several confirmed cases in Hong Kong.