The Health Bureau (SSM) announced yesterday that its chronic disease screening programme will start today, enabling permanent local residents aged at least 18 to undergo medical check-ups for the screening of common chronic diseases at private clinics or other private medical institutions that have joined the programme.
According to an SSM statement yesterday, 79 general practitioners in the private sector have so far joined the bureau’s chronic disease screening programme.
The programme aims to encourage permanent residents to undergo regular screening for common chronic diseases, enabling them to identify potential chronic diseases early.
All permanent residents are entitled to the government’s annual health e-vouchers.
Only general practitioners in the private sector who have joined the bureau’s medical subsidy programme and have passed a special training course conducted by the bureau earlier this year are eligible to join the programme, which gets off the ground today.
The new 2025 round of the government’s annual medical subsidy programme, which started on June 1, provides every beneficiary with health e-vouchers worth 700 patacas valid for two years, because of which beneficiaries can use their health e-vouchers until May 31, 2027.
The government’s annual medical subsidy programme only benefits permanent local residents.
Only health professionals in the private sector not subsidised by the government are eligible to join the medical subsidy programme.
Moreover, only local residents aged at least 18 are eligible to receive health e-vouchers, i.e., permanent local residents, can benefit from the newly launched chronic disease screening programme.
Yesterday’s SSM underlined that the newly launched chronic disease screening programme aims to encourage residents to take the initiative to undergo screening for chronic diseases by making better use of their health e-vouchers.
The statement noted that in preparation for the launch of the programme, the Health Bureau conducted a 10-hour special training course earlier this year, which were attended by about 90 general practitioners.
According to the statement, 85 general practitioners have passed the training course, 79 of whom have joined the chronic disease screening programme as of yesterday.
The training course, according to the statement, covered chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, cancer screening, dyslipidaemia (abnormal amounts of fats in the blood) and obesity, as well as related screening indicators, diagnostic criteria, treatment methods, complication management, and outpatient communication skills.
The statement said that beneficiaries of the chronic disease screening programme can visit any of the participating private medical institutions from today.
Details of the programme, available in Chinese and English, can be checked on: https://www.ssm.gov.mo/portal1/ncdscreening
This undated handout photo released by the Health Bureau (SSM) yesterday shows general practitioners in the private sector attending a special training course conducted by the bureau earlier this year equipping them with the necessary knowledge and skills to provide residents with screening for chronic diseases.
