Hospital Authority to standardise caller identification number prefix 18285 and 18286 from tomorrow

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     The spokesperson for the Hospital Authority (HA) reminded the public today (May 25) that starting from tomorrow (May 26), HA operating units, including public hospitals, family medicine clinics, specialist outpatient clinics, healthcare institutions and the HA Head Office will progressively adopt a number between 1828 500 and 1828 599 or between 1828 600 and 1828 699 for caller identification (caller ID) purposes (see appendix). The change is expected to be completed by the end of June.
 
     All new numbers will be used solely for caller ID purposes of calls made by the HA, to assist the public in identifying incoming calls. When members of the public call back the number, they will generally only hear a recorded phone message indicating which public hospital or clinic the call originated from. If necessary, staff will contact them again later. The caller ID number will not be connected to the relevant public hospital or clinic. As for the existing phone numbers for contacting HA operating units, they will remain unchanged. Members of the public may visit the HA website to check the relevant dialling numbers. In addition, for operational needs, some HA operating units will still retain direct landline numbers or use mobile phones to contact members of the public.
 
     The spokesperson for the HA reiterated that the purpose of adopting caller ID numbers beginning with 18285 or 18286 is to enable members of the public to clearly identify HA calls, thereby reducing the chances of them refusing to answer calls due to concerns about excessive promotional calls or potential phone scams, and even missing urgent calls from accident and emergency departments or wards.
 
     The HA reminds members of the public to take care to verify the identity of the caller when receiving calls from public hospitals. Where the HA needs to contact members of the public, it will generally do so by having staff call them directly and provide relevant information to verify identity. Members of the public should not provide any personal information to calls from unknown sources to avoid privacy breaches. If members of the public suspect they have received a scam call, they should seek assistance from the Police.

Ends/Monday, May 25, 2026

Issued at HKT 9:00

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