The University of Hong Kong’s HKUMed evaluated the Chronic Disease Co-Care (CDCC) Pilot Scheme, commissioned by Hong Kong's Health Bureau, and found strong engagement, high participant satisfaction, and significant improvements in cardiovascular and metabolic health indicators.

About 40% of those screened with complete data were diagnosed with diabetes, hypertension, or pre-diabetes, indicating effective early identification and access to management.

Findings support scaling up preventive healthcare and chronic disease management through subsidised screening and multidisciplinary care in primary care settings.

Enrolment exceeded 200,000 as of January 2026, hitting the government’s target 10 months ahead of schedule; the scheme was regularised in March and renamed the Chronic Disease Co-Care Scheme.

Clinical outcomes from 26,990 participants who completed screening by mid-2024 show HbA1c declined from 7.76% to 6.70% in diabetics after one year; systolic blood pressure (SBP) and LDL-C fell by 7.01 mmHg and 0.76 mmol/L respectively; hypertensives saw SBP drop by 14.87 mmHg and LDL-C by 0.56 mmol/L; pre-diabetes participants had BMI reductions of 0.52 kg/m2 and LDL-C reductions of 0.41 mmol/L.

Satisfaction and self-enablement were high: over 96% found DHC services necessary and helpful; more than 90% reported improved ability to understand and manage their health; overall impression score averaged 80/100 and doctor consultations 78/100.

The research team is led by HKU experts, with collaboration from international partners and public health researchers, funded by the Health and Medical Research Fund of the Health Bureau.

The program is framed as a prevention-oriented, community-based primary healthcare model emphasizing early detection and timely intervention, with a public-private multidisciplinary partnership under the Primary Healthcare Blueprint.

A matched analysis comparing 1,597 eligible participants with 412 non-participants showed higher likelihoods of reaching treatment targets: diabetes HbA1c <7% (2.8x), hypertension SBP <140 mmHg (0.5x increase vs control), hypertension LDL-C target (1.1x), and pre-diabetes BMI <25 kg/m2 (2.9x).