Cancer survivors are entitled to quality care
- The expansion of public-private healthcare partnerships to allow some cancer survivors to seek follow-up consultations from private doctors is a welcome move
The imbalance in the provision of public and private healthcare in Hong Kong has long been recognised. It was thrown into sharp relief during the pandemic, when public hospitals were overwhelmed.
One of the strategies adopted to ease the burden on the public health service is the development of public-private partnerships. The scope of these arrangements, which allow public sector patients to consult private doctors at subsidised rates, has grown in recent years.
The latest expansion will allow some cancer survivors, whose conditions have stabilised, to seek follow-up consultations from private doctors. This is a welcome move. Cancer survivors have already endured the trauma of diagnosis and treatment. They are entitled to timely, quality services for their subsequent assessments.
The new arrangements will begin with lymphoma patients and are expected to start in the first half of next year.
The partnerships allow patients with certain chronic conditions to be referred by public doctors to private practitioners of their choice, receiving up to 10 subsidised visits a year.
The transfer of patients from the public sector, where high demand and staff shortages mean long waits for appointments, to private doctors is much-needed. This will free up public sector specialist appointments for new cases.
But work will be needed to persuade patients to opt for subsidised private care. Many, especially the elderly, feel more comfortable with the public sector.
Concerns about fees and fears that they will go to the back of the queue if they need to return to a public doctor, must be eased. Greater awareness of the way the scheme works is required.
More than 650 private doctors have signed up for the programme. It is important to attract a sufficient number of private practitioners while maintaining high standards.
Sustainability also depends on adequate funding. The scheme forms part of a broader strategy to develop a primary healthcare system in which patients consult family doctors rather than depending on public services. This is long overdue as the city’s population ages.
Health authorities should continue to roll out public-private partnerships to provide a better balance and ensure patients receive timely treatment, while pressing ahead with wider primary healthcare plans.
