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Health
Hong Kong's Domestic Health Accounts' show total health expenditure increased from 3.6 per cent to 6.2 per cent of Gross Domestic Product from 1989-90 to 2017-18. Over the same period, public health spending ($85.2 billion in 2017-18, or 3.1 per cent of GDP) rose from 40 per cent to 51 per cent of total health expenditure. The government's recurrent funding for health has risen substantially over the past five years, from $49.9 billion in 2013 to $71.2 billion by 2018, an increase of about 43 per cent. On a year-on-year basis, the recurrent funding for health grew more than 15 per cent from $61.9 billion in 2017. It accounted for 18 per cent of the government's recurrent expenditure in 2018.
Healthcare Reform
In response to the challenges of an ageing population, the government is undertaking a number of initiatives to enhance the long-term sustainability of the healthcare system:
• Voluntary Health Insurance Scheme - The scheme will be implemented fully on 1 April 2019. It aims to regulate the quality of individual indemnity hospital insurance plans and enhance transparency, in order to increase consumers' confidence in purchasing hospital insurance, thereby facilitating their use of private healthcare services when needed and relieving pressure on the public healthcare system in the long run.
• Manpower planning and professional development -The government is following up actively on the 10 recommendations of the Report of the Strategic Review of Healthcare Manpower Planning and Professional Development with a view to planning ahead for long-term manpower demand and fostering professional development.
• Regulation of private healthcare facilities - Enacted in November, the Private Healthcare Facilities Ordinance will introduce a new regulatory regime for private healthcare facilities that fits the present landscape of private healthcare services, including the regulation of day procedure centres. It will further protect patient safety and consumer rights.
Primary Care Services
Primary care is the first step in the healthcare process. It covers a wide range of public services, including health promotion and disease prevention, general outpatient services and special services for people in specific age groups who do not need immediate hospital attention.
Primary care services are provided mainly by the private sector and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). On average, private Western clinics handle about 31 million outpatient visits each year. NGOs operate community clinics, and many also organise health promotions and educational activities. Some NGOs provide health assessments for the elderly and medical check-ups for women.
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A series of accounts compiled over the years in accordance with the international Classification for Health Accounts Framework developed by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development to keep track of Hong Kong's health spending and to allow for international comparison.
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