Over the past, we have partnered with various social service organizations to provide specialized training to their frontline staff and service users; training includes COVID-19 self-care tips, medication management, caregiver training, and pharmacy resource introduction. We have also delivered a series of medication and community health education workshops, promoting proper medication use and self-care.

We strongly believe community health education empowers individuals to understand, evaluate, and apply health information effectively. This creates a ripple effect – strengthening health management capabilities not just for individuals, but for families and entire social networks, allowing everyone to have the right to health.

Every day in our pharmacy, we serve not only patients but also their caregivers. To strengthen our role in the community, we’re committed to supporting caregivers by , acknowledging their hard work and providing practical support. From online medication workshops to in-person expo, we listen and adapt to make our pharmacy a trusted partner for everyone involved in care.

Through our pilot program, we identified that many long-term medication users and their caregivers experience confusion about proper medication use and concerns about side effects, yet remain unaware of available community health resources that could assist them. Some individuals also face barriers in accessing services due to mobility limitations or unfamiliarity with communication technologies.

The Primary Care Medication Management Services Partnership Scheme addressed these challenges by collaborating with community service units to reach and engage target populations, provide accessible medication consultation services, and establish coordinated follow-up systems with partnering units.

To ensure sustainable development of medication management services in Hong Kong, the program also gathered experienced and dedicated community pharmacists to implement medication management services at different service locations, and conducted ongoing research, practice innovation and knowledge-sharing.

Dr. Fan Ning, founder of Health In Action, was invited to discuss with fellow pharmacists the evolving role of pharmacists in primary healthcare, future challenges, and share insights on how community pharmacists developed sustainable and enhanced pharmacy services during the pandemic. Together with our peers, we remain committed to pursuing excellence in pharmacy care to advance the profession.

This booklet uses relatable scenarios to teach readers how to manage common minor ailments, combining self-care tips with answers to frequently asked medication questions. Designed to boost health literacy, it empowers individuals to make informed self-care decisions while understanding when professional help is needed.

「藥賢行者」is an initiative founded by HKU pharmacy students, which aims to enhance public awareness of common health issues through community outreach programs. Their team partnered with Health In Action Community Pharmacy and Sham Shui Po District Health Centre to deliver medication education to local residents, offering pharmacist consultations during outreach.

As a HKU teaching pharmacy, we aim to nurture future community pharmacists by providing real-world training in a supportive learning environment. Under the supervision of our pharmacists, students gain hands-on experience across all aspects of community pharmacy practice. They learn by doing – answering medication questions from the public, managing daily pharmacy operations, providing professional consultations, and even developing community health education programs. This immersive approach ensures students graduate not just with textbook knowledge, but with the practical skills and confidence needed to excel in patient care.

By bridging the gap between classroom learning and clinical practice, we’re helping build a stronger future for community pharmacy services in Hong Kong.

To alleviate pressure on the public healthcare system while meeting the growing demand for community pharmacy services, we were honored to receive funding support from The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust to expand a community pharmacy services scheme and take care of chronically ill persons as well as others in need.

Through our pharmacist hotline and instant messaging platforms, we delivered remote medication and health support to quarantine patients, and provided assessment and consultation services for confirmed cases:

High-risk patients: Referred to designated clinics/hospitals for follow up
Low-risk patients: Provided appropriate symptom-relief medications delivered to their home for free

During the fifth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong, the daily surge of newly diagonized cases surged from thousand to tens of thousands, pushing the public healthcare system to the brink of collapse. Throughout this period, we worked alongside members of the local community in various ways to help alleviate their anxiety and fear:

1. Integrating and distributing epidemic prevention and medication information
2. Providing professional dispensing and medication guidance services
3. Actively procuring various medications
4. Accepting donations of epidemic prevention supplies and distributing them to those in need