Hong Kong’s first Chinese medicine hospital likely to charge outpatients similar rates as public clinics, health official says
- Government-funded facility likely to charge about HK$120 to attend as an outpatient, Health Bureau’s Cheung Wai-lun says
- City’s first traditional Chinese medicine hospital to work closely with private sector, which will provide about 35 per cent of services, with rest subsidised by government
Cheung Wai-lun, the project director at the Health Bureau’s Chinese Medicine Hospital Project Office, on Sunday said he expected the government-funded facility to charge at a level close to the HK$120 (US$15) outpatient attendance fee levied at public Chinese medicine clinics.
He said the hospital would also work with the private sector to build a strong healthcare network which connected all stakeholders to promote the development of traditional Chinese medicine in the city.
“We wish that what we develop at the hospital can be transferred to the private sector … Not only can private practitioners provide services at the hospital, but also they can bring the knowledge and skills they acquire here to the private market,” he said.
The hospital is set to open in Tseung Kwan O in late 2025 and provide outpatient treatment in the first year, with inpatient services added the next year.
Under a public-private partnership model, 65 per cent of the services will be subsidised by the government, and the other 35 per cent will be provided by the private sector.
Cheung said that engaging the private sector was important because it provided 95 per cent of the traditional Chinese medicine services in the city.
Patients seeking private services would be able to choose their practitioners and enjoy customised services, with the rates decided by the market, he said.
