Health

We are committed to promoting health for all. Through enhancing health literacy and promoting preventive and primary care, we strive to help people get access to better healthcare. We also support various programmes to address social, commercial and other determinants of health and enhance the overall physical, mental and social well-being across our community.

Hong Kong’s health partner

For more than seven decades, The Hong Kong Jockey Club has been working hand in hand with the local community to strengthen healthcare support across the city. From funding medical facilities to promoting healthcare at the community level, we believe that health begins from families. By enhancing and promoting health education and empowering the community to take care of their own well-being, we aim to foster a healthier Hong Kong.

By the turn of the 21st century, Hong Kong is facing the challenges of having one of the world's fastest ageing societies. A growing number of citizens are living with cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and other chronic conditions, placing mounting pressure in the ever-straining health system. This is further burdened by the on-going threats of disease outbreaks and pandemics.

The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the swine flu outbreak in 2009, and the SARS crisis in 2003 have all underscored a critical truth: Diseases know no borders, and vaccines—alongside surveillance and other public health measures—remain among our most potent measures for epidemic prevention and control.

In response, we funded the set-up of Centre for Health Protection (CHP) in 2004 that played a pivotal role in preparing for and responding to disease outbreaks, saving lives and protecting health. Meanwhile, the establishment of the Jockey Club Global Health Institute, a collaboration between The University of Hong Kong (HKU), University of Cambridge and International Vaccine Institute, has strengthened our preparedness for future pandemics by bringing the latest vaccine technology to Hong Kong.

Strengthening pandemic preparedness

Preparedness is key: we must be ready to respond to health emergencies caused by both known and emerging diseases. Since its establishment in 2004, CHP has been leading the fight for protecting health in Hong Kong.

"The establishment of CHP has greatly strengthened Hong Kong's public health system and will play an important role in Hong Kong's response for future outbreaks of infectious disease," says Professor David Hui Shu-cheong, Professor of Respiratory Medicine at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK).

“During the COVID-19 pandemic, CHP closely tracked local respiratory infections through lab tests, hospital admissions, and outbreak data to keep the public informed and prepared,” he adds.

The question for the next pandemic is not if, but when. Building on the solid foundation laid by CHP, we made a special donation of HK$3 billion on epidemic preparedness in 2023. This includes dedicated support to CHP to strengthen its disease surveillance and research capacities, alongside better coordination and management of disease outbreaks through adopting latest technologies.

Together with The Hong Kong Jockey Club Global Health Institute, which specialises in upstream vaccine innovation and development, we are strengthening Hong Kong's readiness for future disease outbreaks. In parallel, through our partnership with the Institute of Philanthropy (IoP), we heavily invest in training up healthcare workers across the country at a national level—simply because no one is safe until everyone is.

The establishment of the CHP has greatly strengthened Hong Kong's public health system and will play an important role in Hong Kong's response for future outbreaks of infectious disease.

Professor David Hui Shu-cheong, Professor of Respiratory Medicine at CUHK

Charting our journey for health

So, when did we first begin our healthcare outreach? If we look back at the immediate post-war period, in the mid-1950s, Hong Kong had a huge influx of migrants, who alongside the rising post-war local population, heightened the need for bigger and better healthcare facilities. The dense living conditions, poverty and lack of hygiene meant there were many more cases of tuberculosis and cholera, as well as a need for many other medical and pre-natal services for families and the elderly. The Club has stepped up and provided some 20 healthcare clinics over the next two decades. Over the years, not all those clinics were land-based. There were also two ships, the Chee Hong and Chee Wan, which were used as floating clinics for north Lantau and remote villages in Sai Kung. This was the beginning of the idea for: Health for all, and all for health.

Early construction projects also included a nursing home at Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital in Tai Po as well as a maternity unit. We also provided further funding for the two institutions to upgrade their facilities in later decades. Leprosy was still prevalent in Hong Kong in the 1950s, and we helped establish a leprosy treatment centre on Hei Ling Chau. We also supported the construction of a new wing at Ruttonjee Hospital (formerly Ruttonjee Sanatorium) in Wan Chai to help patients with tuberculosis and other diseases.

Looking back to the 1960s and 1970s, it is quite endearing that many elderly residents referred to their neighbourhood clinics as "Jockey Club clinics" rather than saying they were seeing doctors at public clinics—and this name became part of common parlance, reflecting the clinics' close connection to the community.

From the outset, says medical doctor and public health expert Dr Judith Mackay, “The Jockey Club clinics provided a crucial component in the development of local healthcare in Hong Kong, complementing the hospital service. The clinics provided out-patient services and particularly helped the economically poorer populations on issues of malnutrition and tuberculosis.”

Prevention is better than cure

Our programmes prioritise preventive care and early intervention. Thanks to advances in medical technology, many cancers can now be detected at an early stage when treatment is the most effective. In 2007, we partnered with CUHK to pioneer Hong Kong's first cancer screening programme, the bowel cancer prevention and screening programme. The results were remarkable, with screening data from the programme helping to inform the government's territory-wide subsidised colorectal cancer screening scheme. As more cancers become curable, we established the Jockey Club Institute of Cancer Care (JCICC) at HKU in 2018 to provide stronger support for survivors and help prevent relapse, including comprehensive psychosocial and survivorship care for cancer patients, their families, and caregivers.

To better manage the health needs in an ageing society, we endeavour to create an age-friendly city and improve the well-being of Hong Kong’s older adults. We are working with CUHK to help identify individuals with early diabetes for timely intervention, while also supporting older adults in managing chronic conditions that often require long-term medication and management. Through the Jockey Club PHARM+ Community Medication Service Network, we improve access to medication management services and related health support at our community pharmacies, preventing unnecessary admission or other medical emergencies.

For the next generation, we invest in their healthier futures. To support students with attention deficit and/or hyperactivity disorder, we offer school-based training programmes under Jockey Club Keen and Active Kids Project, as well as provide online social emotional learning to senior primary school pupils under Jockey Club "Playful Minds" Social Emotional Learning Programme.

Recognising that some children face greater health challenges, such as juvenile diabetes, we ensure equitable access to continuous glucose monitors to all eligible young patients in Hong Kong so as to minimise the burden of the disease for better childhood. And to prevent any dental diseases that can have long-term consequences, we support Jockey Club Children Oral Health Project, run by HKU Faculty of Dentistry, to offer free dental check-ups for preschool children in Hong Kong.

Helping advance Chinese medicine and research

Promoting the development and research of Chinese medicine has been our key initiative in advancing community healthcare over the years. This has been carried out through the establishment of Jockey Club School of Chinese Medicine Building at Hong Kong Baptist University. The facility integrates Chinese medicine outpatient clinics with training and research amenities, providing modern, high-quality support for the advancement of Chinese medicine in alignment with the government’s strategic initiatives.

In addition, we funded the first Chinese Medicine Disease Prevention and Health Management Centre in Hong Kong, which employs modernised traditional Chinese medicine methodologies to offer medical and wellness services to the public, including disease prevention and chronic disease management.

Building a healthy future

As we look toward a healthier future, we continue to assess what is needed to support primary healthcare and disease prevention in Hong Kong. Our work began by helping tens of thousands of ordinary people have a clinic in their own districts, delivering immediate and crucial primary healthcare that is close to home. This community aspect is still at the core of our healthcare plan, alongside efforts to address the dual challenges of an ageing population and the recurring threats of future pandemics. We aim to empower individuals to take charge of their own health, while addressing the social, commercial and other underlying factors that influence their health and well-being.