The government launched its second action plan on Tuesday to eliminate viral hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030, targeting the hundreds of thousands of residents living with the disease.

Data from the Population Health Survey indicates approximately 410,000 people, or 5.6 percent of the city's population, are living with hepatitis B, while around 17,000, or 0.23 percent, have hepatitis C.

The Health Bureau said the Hong Kong Viral Hepatitis Action Plan 2025-2030 envisions a future with no new viral hepatitis infections and where all chronic patients receive effective, affordable care and treatment.

To achieve this, the bureau outlined four strategic directions: heightening awareness, tracking health sector response, preventing new infections and expanding access to screening, care and treatment.

A key initiative is a pilot risk-based hepatitis B screening programme, set to launch early next year through the existing Chronic Disease Co-Care Pilot Scheme framework.

According to Assistant Commissioner for Primary Healthcare Christy Lam, district health centres will serve as hubs, coordinating with family doctors to provide screening and long-term management.

"Health centres will help citizens pair with their self-chosen family doctor in hopes of implementing the 'one person, one family doctor' in chronic disease management, with the aim of fostering a long-term relationship between patients and doctors," she said.

"Health centre staff will then provide eligible participants with a free hepatitis B surface antigen rapid test.

"If the rapid test is positive, they will be referred to their self-chosen family doctor for further blood tests to confirm whether they are infected with the hepatitis B virus."

Patients diagnosed with chronic hepatitis B, she said, will receive subsidised consultations, medication and liver ultrasounds for ongoing monitoring.

Medical records will be uploaded to the eHealth system with consent, supporting a “one patient, one medical record” approach to improve care coordination and patient self-management.

The screening will first target higher-risk groups, including individuals born in or before 1988 - the year universal childhood hepatitis B vaccination programme began - as well as family members of chronic hepatitis B patients.

"Based on the figures we gathered from the Department of Health and also from international literature, we have estimated that there are around 300,000 eligible high-risk groups who may join this screening programme," Lam said.

"Based on this estimation, we have made our system ready to cater for citizens meeting these eligibility criteria to join our screening programme.

"As this is a pilot programme, so we will keep watch on the implementation progress and we will adjust the service accordingly."

Other prevention strategies include sustaining measures to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B and enhance public and professional awareness through training and campaigns.