The background of the Elderly Medical Voucher Scheme is that the Hong Kong government launched a three-year pilot program for the Elderly Medical Voucher Scheme on January 1 2009 to strengthen the concept of  primary care services for the elderly. Under the pilot scheme, elders who have reached the age of 70 will each receive 5 medical vouchers with a face value of 50 HKD per year. The pilot project aims to provide financial incentives for the elderly to choose the private medical services that best meet their health needs, including preventive care services, so as to supplement the existing public medical services such as General outpatient clinics and specialist outpatient clinics. Medical vouchers are an additional option for the elderly in addition to the existing public medical services.