On the 23rd, the Hong Kong SAR government, together with the Guangdong provincial and Shenzhen municipal governments, conducted a "Greater Bay Area Cross border Direct Ambulance Trial Plan" exercise to test the cross-border arrangement of ambulances under simulated conditions of transporting patients. The drill was generally smooth, and the Hong Kong SAR government and relevant mainland departments will review the drill process with the aim of launching a pilot program within 2024. It is reported that the drill on that day was mainly to test the driving routes of cross-border ambulances between the University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Hospital and designated hospitals in Hong Kong (Tuen Mun Hospital and Hong Kong Children's Hospital), as well as the arrangements for ambulance entry and exit. In the morning of that day, the designated Shenzhen cross-border ambulance departed from the Shenzhen Hospital of the University of Hong Kong, arrived at the Tuen Mun Hospital through the Shenzhen Bay Port, then drove to the Hong Kong Children's Hospital, and finally returned to the Shenzhen Hospital of the University of Hong Kong through the Shenzhen Bay Port. The process was generally smooth. The Director of the Medical and Health Bureau of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, Lu Chongmao, stated that there is currently no direct arrangement for cross-border ambulance transportation of patients between Hong Kong, mainland China, and Macau. Patients can only be transferred at the port through a "vehicle to vehicle" method. With the joint efforts of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government, Guangdong Province, and Shenzhen Municipal Government, Guangdong and Hong Kong successfully conducted exercises on the same day, preparing for the official opening of the road. The Hong Kong SAR government has stated that it will review the exercise process with relevant mainland departments and arrange for further exercises if necessary. The goal is to launch a one-year pilot program within this year. Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam proposed in the 2023 Policy Address to explore arrangements for cross-border ambulance transportation of patients in the Greater Bay Area. The pilot plan will first implement the arrangement of direct ambulance services from designated hospitals in Shenzhen and Macau to transport patients to designated public hospitals in Hong Kong. (New Society)