How can a dog operation cost more than human surgery? asks top surgeon
Eye surgeon says a cataract operation on a pet costs HK$30,000 – double what he charges his patients; vets blame soaring rents and expenses
A medical specialist has questioned the size of vet bills in Hong Kong and asked how operations performed on animals can cost double the amount or more of similar hospital treatments carried out on people.
A basic consultation with a doctor, for instance, costs about HK$150. But vets can often charge double that.
Cataract surgery will typically set you back HK$15,000 - but you could pay HK$30,000 if it is your dog that is having the operation.
Like private doctors, there is no set scale of fees for vets. One veterinary clinic in Happy Valley charges HK$330 for a basic consultation, but this rises to HK$800 after 7pm.
In one clinic in Wan Chai the amount can increase to HK$2,000 for an emergency call - almost 10 times the fee charged by St Paul's Hospital in Causeway Bay. The hospital's outpatient service costs HK$150 before 7pm and up to HK$280 after hours.
"I don't see how an operation on a dog would be more complicated and difficult than performing surgery on a human," said Dr Chow Pak-chin, vice-president of the Medical Association and a former member of the Veterinary Surgeons Board.
Chow, an ophthalmologist, said cataract surgery on a pet's eye costs about HK$30,000, double that for humans.