While the initial response is promising, the Food and Health Bureau must promote the system more aggressively to justify its enormous development and operating costs. It should also collaborate with both the Department of Health and Hospital Authority working on other eHealth projects to save manpower and resources.

According to the bureau, stage one of eHRSS development cost HK$702 million and stage two development, which began last July, is expected to cost another ­HK$422 million. Moreover, the annual operating cost of the system as of 2016-17 amounts to about HK$200 million, or nearly HK$300 per user per year. Unless eHealth can benefit 10 times the number of recipients it currently serves, the Food and Health secretary may have a hard time justifying such a huge recurring operating cost.

In Hong Kong, big data is helping people take control of their health care

To further market the system, the bureau should focus on children, through collaborating with the Family Health Service and School Dental Care Service of the Department of Health. As of October 2017, eHRSS patients aged under 12 and 16 numbered about 11,300 and 12,400, respectively, suggesting children are severely underserved by eHealth. Meanwhile, the department has developed two separate online platforms – Child Health Service Booking System and Student Internet Service for Dental Care – for the two service units mentioned above. The number of children in eHRSS will increase significantly if the e-platforms developed by the Department of Health and the eHRSS of the Food and Health Bureau become fully integrated.