Health Bureau (SSM) Director Alvis Lo Iek Long announced yesterday that the bureau will allow permanent residents to use their e-ID certificate as their medical e-voucher in the Macao One Account mobile app from August 1, by which time the existing medical voucher device will be replaced by an all-in-one device to read the medical vouchers.
Dr Lo made the remarks during the bureau’s three recent briefing sessions to medical staff, introducing its amended and upgraded plan for using medical e-vouchers, with the aim of further facilitating residents’ use of the vouchers and the collection of payments. Dr. Lo said this was also in line with the development of e-government.
Dr Lo said that residents can still choose to present their ID card or display their e-ID certificate in the Macao One Account Mobile app when paying for medical services, as the all-in-one device supports both.
The new and old devices will be used in tandem from August 1 to August 31, in order for the medical sector to familiarise itself with the operation of the new and old ones that, however, will be officially replaced by the all-in-one devices from September 1.
Health vouchers are officially known as the government’s annual medical subsidy programme. The amount of the health vouchers for each recipient was 500 patacas when the programme was launched in 2009. The amount was raised to the current 600 patacas in 2013. The scheme only benefits permanent local residents.
The health e-vouchers are only valid for consultations and treatments provided by health professionals in the private sector not subsidised by the government, and are fully or partly transferable to their beneficiaries’ spouse, parents or children who, however, must be permanent residents.
Dr Lo also urged the sector to doublecheck the safety features of each patient’s e-ID certificate.
For more information, members of the public can check the bureau’s official website at https://www.vs.gov.mo/vs/ch.aspx#nt13964.
This photo provided by the Health Bureau (SSM) shows the new devices to be used for reading e-health vouchers from August 1.
