University Health Service (UHS) started as a small unit known as Student Health Service (SHS) within the Student Affairs Unit (SAU) of the then Hong Kong Technical Institute (HKTI) since 1975. With the expansion and transformation of the HKTI to the Hong Kong Polytechnic, the demand for the range of health services increased. After the reorganization of the departmental structure in the Hong Kong Polytechnic in 1991, the clinic was known as the Health Service Section under the Student Affairs Office (SAO) which was formerly named as SAU.
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University assumed full University status in November 1994 and the Health Service Section finally earned its status as an independent department on 1 January 1996, thus named the University Health Service.