HA to use prefix 18285/18286 in calling patients

All public hospitals and clinics will use the prefix in making calls from tomorrow Ever missed an important call from the hospital or clinic you attend because you thought the caller was a scammer? From tomorrow, May 26 all calls coming from clinics and hospitals attached to the Hospital Authority (HA) will have the unique prefix 182825 or 182826 in their number so residents will know who it is that’s calling and take the call without hesitation. The prefix will be used in all HA operating units, including public hospitals, family medicine clinics, specialist outpatient clinics, healthcare institutions and the HA Head Office. All these attached health care facilities will progressively adopt a number between 1828 500 and 1828 599 or between 1828 600 and 1828 699 for caller identification (caller ID), a process that is expected to be completed by end of June. However all the new numbers will be used solely for caller ID purposes, meaning they cannot be called back. When a person tries to call anyway, he or she will only hear a recorded message indicating which public hospital or clinic the call originated from. If necessary, staff will call again later. As for all existing phone numbers for contacting HA operating units, they will remain unchanged. In addition, some HA facilities will still retain direct landline numbers or use mobile phone numbers . A statement issued by the HA said adopting the unique prefix will alert the public when the HA is calling, thereby reducing the chances of them refusing to pick up due to concerns about excessive promotional calls or potential phone scams, and even missing urgent calls from accident and emergency departments or wards. Everyone is reminded to take care when picking a call from an unknown number to avoid being scammed. If the HA needs to contact anyone, especially in an emergency, one of its staff will call the family directly and provide relevant information to establish identity. The HA reminds everyone that they should not provide any personal information to calls from unknown source. People who suspect they have received a scam call recently should seek assistance from the Police.

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