The Lands Department announced today (December 27) that information on government sites granted by short term tenancy (STT) since January 1, 2018 is now available on the GeoInfo Map. The GeoInfo Map … read more
The Transport Department today (December 27) announced that the auction of traditional vehicle registration marks will be held on January 12 (Saturday), in Meeting Room S221, L2, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre,… read more
The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department today (December 27) announced an adjustment to the auto-LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) ceiling prices for dedicated LPG filling stations from January 1 to January 31, 2019, in accordance with the terms and conditions of the contracts of the dedicated LPG filling stations.
A department spokesman said that the adjustment on January 1, 2019, reflects the movement of the LPG international price in December 2018. The adjusted auto-LPG ceiling prices for dedicated LPG filling stations will range from $2.89 to $3.42 per litre, representing a decrease of $0.45 to $0.46 per litre.
The spokesman said that the auto-LPG ceiling prices were adjusted according to a specified pricing formula. The formula comprises two elements – the LPG international price and the LPG operating price. The LPG international price is the LPG international price of the preceding month. The LPG operating price is adjusted on the first day of February every year according to the movement in the Composite Consumer Price Index in the previous year.
The auto-LPG ceiling prices for respective dedicated LPG filling stations in January 2019 are as follows:
| Location of dedicated LPG filling station |
Auto-LPG ceiling price in January 2019 ($/litre) |
Auto-LPG ceiling price in December 2018 ($/litre) |
| Fung Yip Street, Chai Wan | 3.42 | 3.88 |
| Ngo Cheung Road, West Kowloon | 3.42 | 3.88 |
| Sham Mong Road, Mei Foo | 3.10 | 3.55 |
| Yip Wong Road, Tuen Mun | 3.10 | 3.55 |
| Marsh Road, Wan Chai | 3.09 | 3.55 |
| Fung Mat Road, Sheung Wan | 3.02 | 3.48 |
| Wai Lok Street, Kwun Tong | 3.02 | 3.48 |
| Yuen Chau Tsai, Tai Po | 3.02 | 3.48 |
| Cheung Yip Street, Kowloon Bay | 3.07 | 3.53 |
Kwai On Road, Kwai Chung |
3.07 | 3.53 |
| Hang Yiu Street, Ma On Shan | 2.89 | 3.34 |
| Tak Yip Street, Yuen Long | 2.89 | 3.34 |
Applications under the Hong Kong/Netherlands bilateral Working Holiday Scheme (WHS) will be accepted from January 1, 2019 (Tuesday).
Welcoming the commencement of the Scheme, the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Dr Law Chi-kwong said, “We are delighted to see that the WHS has been well-received by youths, enabling them to broaden their horizons and to gain living and working experience in a foreign culture. I believe that youth exchanges would further reinforce bilateral ties between Hong Kong and the Netherlands.”
The Consul General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Hong Kong, Ms Annemieke Ruigrok, said, “I welcome all young people in Hong Kong to grasp this new and unique opportunity to come and experience the Netherlands. And I hope that young Dutch people will do the same in Hong Kong. I hope this will lead to stronger ties between us.”
Hong Kong and the Netherlands signed a Memorandum of Understanding to mark the establishment of a bilateral Working Holiday Scheme in April. The working holiday visa will allow young people from Hong Kong and the Netherlands to stay in the host economy for up to 12 months. During the period, they may work to finance their stay and/or take up short-term study courses.
Details of visa application procedures for applicants from Hong Kong can be found on the website of the Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Hong Kong at www.netherlandsandyou.nl/your-country-and-the-netherlands/hongkong/travel-and-residence/working-holiday-programme-with-the-netherlands. Applicants from the Netherlands may contact the Hong Kong Immigration Department by telephone on 2824 6111 or obtain the necessary information from the Department’s website at www.immd.gov.hk.
Working holidaymakers are reminded to research thoroughly on the employment, accommodation and living conditions as well as relevant statutory requirements of the host economy before departure.
Since 2001, Hong Kong has established WHS with New Zealand, Australia, Ireland, Germany, Japan, Canada, Korea, France, the United Kingdom, Austria, Hungary, Sweden and the Netherlands. So far, some 88 000 Hong Kong youths have participated in these schemes. Details relating to WHS are available at the dedicated website of the Labour Department at www.whs.gov.hk. read more
The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:
The Hospital Authority (HA) launched the Drug Refill Services E-Fill pilot programme at Prince of Wales Hospital (PWH) and Tuen Mun Hospital (TMH) in December 2017. Under the programme, patients’ prescriptions are split into smaller and manageable quantities, while pharmacists review and reaffirm the latest condition of the patients before each refill. Phase two of the pilot programme will be rolled out at Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital (PYNEH) starting from today (December 27).
Medical Specialist Out-patient Clinic (SOPC) patients of PYNEH aged 60 or above who are typically prescribed with drug items for an extended period, such as over 16 weeks until the next consultation, will join the second phase of the pilot programme. These patients will be informed and given prescription slips with refill schedules during their upcoming SOPC consultation sessions. Reminders via telephone calls or short message service (SMS) will be sent to patients three to five days prior to the scheduled refill date. Patients or their carers can collect refill medications using the “Refill Prescription Coupons” at designated counters of the hospital’s 24-hour pharmacy department.
Special telephone or face-to-face counselling sessions will be arranged by pharmacists for patients with complex situations, such as hospital readmission, cross-specialty consultations or when there is a need to adjust the prescriptions.
“The first phase of the Drug Refill Services E-Fill pilot programme was implemented in PWH and TMH about one year ago. Around 20 000 patients were covered by the programme and feedback was generally positive. By adjusting the prescriptions for patients, wastage due to surplus drug can be reduced, besides preventing confusion due to overstocking of drugs. It is estimated that the second phase of the pilot programme could cover 5 000 patients,” said the HA Chief Pharmacist, Ms Anna Lee.
The HA will continue to improve the operation workflow of E-Fill and roll out the programme to more public hospitals. The implementation of E-Fill is aimed at enhancing high-risk patients’ drug compliance and safety, minimising the possibility of confusion and inappropriate use of drugs, and avoiding the storage of excess quantities of drugs. read more