Good Samaritan law

First Aid & CPR Hong Kong

The Good Samaritan: compassion and protection

Drawn from the Bible (Luke 10:25-37), the parable of the Good Samaritan tells of a traveller left for dead who is rescued by a stranger that tends to him and sees to his care. Beyond its religious context, it carries a universal message: the moral duty to help others in danger, through compassion and altruism.

Inspired by this principle, many so-called Good Samaritan laws have been enacted around the world to protect those who assist in good faith during an emergency from legal action. The exact scope of that protection, however, varies from one jurisdiction to another: here is what the law applicable to your region provides.

Statute citation

Governing act None. Hong Kong has no Good Samaritan legislation granting statutory protection to volunteer rescuers. The matter is governed by the common law (Hong Kong follows English common law). The issue has been raised in the Legislative Council (LegCo) but no statute has been enacted.
Scope of protection No statutory protection. Under the common law, a mere bystander has no legal obligation to rescue; however, once a person undertakes the rescue, they assume a duty of reasonable care. Hong Kong courts would likely follow English common law, which is reluctant to hold a good-faith volunteer rescuer liable. Fear of liability remains the top barrier to intervention.
Duty to rescue No
AED liability protection No
No legal duty to rescue

Your protection under the law

Hong Kong has no Good Samaritan legislation granting statutory protection to volunteer rescuers: the matter is governed by the common law, which the region inherits from English law. Under those principles a mere bystander has no legal obligation to step in, but once a person undertakes a rescue they assume a duty of reasonable care. Hong Kong courts would likely follow English common law, which is reluctant to hold a good-faith rescuer liable.

No duty to act, but every reason to

In Hong Kong no law compels you to rescue a stranger in distress: helping remains a free choice, guided by conscience rather than compulsion. Fear of liability is often named as the top barrier to intervention, even though the common law is very reluctant to condemn someone who acts in good faith and with the care expected of them. In practice, a person who steps in calmly and reasonably faces very little legal risk.

Why training matters

In a city as dense as Hong Kong, cardiac arrest can strike on a packed train, in an office tower or on a busy street, and every minute without resuscitation cuts the chance of survival by about 10%. Ambulances must contend with traffic and high-rises: long before they arrive, it is the nearest bystander who holds a life in their hands. Training in CPR and first aid gives you the confidence to act rather than watch, to compress, clear an airway and use a defibrillator. Learning these skills means becoming the first link in a chain that can bring someone back.