The Health Bureau (SSM) announced in a statement yesterday that it held a launch ceremony at the Tap Seac Health Centre on Saturday for its “Chronic Disease Management Programme”.
SSM Director Alvis Lo Iek Long told the ceremony that chronic diseases account for around 80 percent of all deaths in Macau.
According to the statement, the programme aims to channel stable chronic disease patients to community outpatient services through collaboration with community organisations, thereby achieving resource allocation at the community level.
Dr Lo said that chronic diseases account for about 80 percent of deaths in Macau. The authorities aim to comprehensively enhance residents’ “awareness”, “treatment” and “control” rates for chronic diseases by 2030, Dr Lo said.
The statement noted that the programme applies the “Metabolic Management Centre” model from the Shanghai Institute of Endocrine* and Metabolic Diseases, integrating smart healthcare platforms and artificial intelligence (AI) technology to achieve collaborative division of labour in community centre testing and follow-up, health centre diagnosis and treatment.
In the first phase, the statement said, the Tap Seac Health Centre will refer patients to the health centre under the Women’s General Association of Macau (commonly known as Fu Luen); by the first quarter of 2026, the programme will expand to the Macau General Union of Neighbourhood Associations’ (UGAMM – widely known as Kai Fong, its short name in Cantonese) health centres, gradually extending to other areas such as the northern district.
The statement pointed out that the control rate for hypertension patients increased from 48.5 percent in 2023 to 62.5 percent in 2024. Nearly 40,000 diabetes patients have shown significant improvements in all three key indicators, with about 11,000 patients achieving synchronised control of all blood sugar, blood pressure and blood lipids indicators, the statement said.
The programme, the statement said, marks a new phase in Macau’s chronic disease prevention and treatment, entering a stage of integrated medical and preventive care. Through community collaborative management, it alleviates the pressure on public healthcare and allows residents to enjoy high-quality, continuous health services in their communities, the statement said.
* The endocrine system is a network of glands and organs in the body that produce, store, and release hormones. These hormones act as chemical messengers, travelling through the bloodstream to regulate the activity of cells and organs throughout the body. – DeepSeek
Health Bureau (SSM) Director Alvis Lo Iek Long addresses Saturday’s launch ceremony at the Tap Seac Health Centre. – Photo: GCS
