Hong Kong Expands Cross-Boundary Access to Electronic Health Records Through eHealth

Why It Matters

Enabling seamless cross‑boundary record sharing strengthens Hong Kong’s integration with the Greater Bay Area’s healthcare ecosystem and boosts efficiency for both patients and clinicians. The legal safeguards ensure data privacy while supporting broader digital‑health ambitions.

Key Takeaways

• Cross‑boundary Health Record now covers 6.3 million eHealth users
• Over 32,500 residents used cross‑boundary functions by April 2026
• Personal Folder added high‑resolution radiology uploads from three mainland hospitals
• 2025 ordinance creates legal framework for cross‑border health data sharing
• Hospital Authority accessed external records 4,500+ times, cutting duplicate tests

Pulse Analysis

Hong Kong’s eHealth platform, launched in 2016, has become a cornerstone of the city’s digital‑health strategy. By extending the Cross‑boundary Health Record function to all 6.3 million registered users, the government removes the previous age‑based restriction and enables patients to authorize secure data transfers to 20 designated institutions across the Guangdong‑Hong Kong‑Macao Greater Bay Area. This expansion aligns with the eHealth+ five‑year plan announced in 2023, which envisions a unified health‑information infrastructure that supports coordinated care, public‑health monitoring, and cross‑regional service delivery.

Usage data shows rapid adoption: more than 21,000 users accessed the Cross‑boundary Health Record, while 10,000+ leveraged the Personal Folder for self‑deposited records and 6,800+ uploaded radiology images. The Personal Folder’s upgrade in January 2026 now accepts high‑resolution imaging from three mainland hospitals, solving the long‑standing bottleneck of large file uploads. Clinicians in Hong Kong’s public hospitals have accessed external records over 4,500 times, helping to avoid redundant tests and streamline treatment pathways. The Electronic Health Record Sharing System (Amendment) Ordinance 2025 underpins this growth, granting the Commissioner authority to recognize overseas providers while imposing strict privacy, cybersecurity, and compliance standards.

The initiative signals Hong Kong’s broader push to embed digital services across public sectors, mirroring efforts in infrastructure governance and citizen‑centric platforms. As the Greater Bay Area deepens its health‑care collaboration, cross‑border data sharing will become a critical enabler of integrated patient journeys, tele‑medicine, and regional health analytics. Future phases may expand the list of recognised institutions, introduce AI‑driven record summarisation, and further align Hong Kong’s health data standards with mainland counterparts, positioning the city as a digital‑health hub in East Asia.