Hong Kong St John Ambulance

Who we are

Hong Kong St John Ambulance was established in Hong Kong in 1884, followed by the Brigade in 1916 and the Council in 1949. St John Ambulance is one of the oldest voluntary bodies in Hong Kong and a large headquarters building complex was opened in 1996.

After the change in sovereignty in 1997, the new corporate name of ‘Hong Kong St John Ambulance’ was adopted with effect from 27th June 1997 and The Order ceased to be represented in Hong Kong. However in 2002 Hong Kong successfully rejoined the Order. Operations and training functions are directed and organised at all levels by Hong Kong St John Ambulance, with guidance and support from the Order Secretariat.

Hong Kong at a glance

Hong Kong, officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China (PRC), the other being Macau. The territory lies on the eastern side of the Pearl River Delta, bordering Guangdong province in the north and facing the South China Sea in the east, west and south. Beginning as a trading port in the 19th century, Hong Kong has developed into a leading financial centre.

Hong Kong was a crown colony of the United Kingdom from 1842 until the transfer of its sovereignty to the People's Republic of China in 1997. The Sino-British Joint Declaration and the Basic Law of Hong Kong stipulate that Hong Kong operates with a high degree of autonomy until at least 2047, fifty years after the transfer. Under the policy of "one country, two systems", the Central People's Government is responsible for the territories' defense and foreign affairs, while Hong Kong Government maintains its own legal system, police force, monetary system, customs policy, immigration policy, and delegates to international organisations and events.

Hong Kong's population increased sharply throughout the 1990s, reaching 6.96 million in 2007. About 95% of Hong Kong's population is of Chinese descent, the majority of which are Cantonese or from ethnic groups such as Hakka and Teochew.

Hong Kong maintains a highly capitalist economy and is an important centre for international finance and trade. In 2007/8 it was ranked as 21st in the world in the UN’s Human Development Index and has a good medical infrastructure consisting of 12 private hospitals and more than 50 public hospitals.

What we do

First Aid Training: The Association is responsible for training members of the public in the principle and the practice of First Aid, Home Nursing and other allied subjects, together with publication of textbooks to facilitate such instruction. It also organises examinations and issues certificates of proficiency to successful candidates. Modest fees are charged for courses and examinations.

At present, the Association has over 600 volunteer Lecturers, including doctors and nurses, providing various training courses for members of the public.

First Aid Service: St John volunteers are also responsible for the training and equipment of men, women and young persons to undertake, on a voluntary basis, either as individuals or as organised groups, First Aid, Home Nursing and allied activities in public places, or elsewhere as occasions may require, for welfare to those in need. The service is free.

Under the leadership of the Commissioner, the Hong Kong SJA Brigade has over 5,600 volunteers who are trained to be efficient and competent at all times to care for the general public when needed.

Volunteers from Hong Kong SJA Brigade attend major public events to provide First Aid care to the general public.

Dental Health: Volunteer dentists of the Dental Region provide free dental service to children with disabilities and special physical needs.  The Dental Region also conduct some Outreach Programmes that include Dental Health Education and counselling for many local charitable organizations throughout the year.

The dental clinic is the only one of its kind in St John around the world.

Ambulance service: Ten fully equipped ambulances are run by Hong Kong SJA and are stationed in three depots, attending to emergency calls from residents of Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories on a 24-hour basis.

Youth: The Cadet Command of Hong Kong St John Ambulance Brigade was established in 1948. Its objective is to train teenagers (aged 12 to 18) in First Aid, Home Nursing, and encourage them to develop their interest in social and practical skills such as Road & Home Safety and Community Care which are conductive to their development to becoming good citizens. At present, all Cadet Divisions are established in secondary schools.

Cadets will participate in Leadership Training Programmes and receive training in other proficiency subjects such as fire fighting, canoeing, camping, life-saving, rock climbing, map reading and cookery.

Community service projects such as medical check-ups for the elderly, hospital visits, recreation activities for the underprivileged are organized, so as to allow the cadets to serve the community. First-Aid duties at beaches, schools, matches, etc are arranged by attachment to Adult First Aid Squads. There are also annual activities such as passing out parades, enrolment ceremonies, competitions in First Aid & Home Nursing Skills and annual inspections.