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These fees include not only Hospital maintenance but also medical, surgical and obstetric treatment, and drugs, whilst at the same time other Hospitals available in the Colony for the patients of private practitioners charge similar fees for maintenance only.
The result is that regardless of the financial position of the patient anyone, whether resident, transient or tourist, of whatever nationality, is admitted into the Government Hospital, and simply on payment of the approximate cost of board and lodging according to the class of room taken, receives free, all medical treatment, and anything that may be required in the way of operation, X-ray or obstetrical work, etc. In other words there is a considerable class of patients receiving from the Government medical and surgical treatment as a charity to which they are in no way entitled.
The Dominions Committee is therefore of the opinion that the private practitioners in the Colony are at a disadvantage in that their patients are freely admitted and treated by operation or otherwise in Government Hospitals by Government Medical Officers, or in other words that there is unfair competition.
The Committee would be glad if the Secretary of State would approach the Hong Kong Government in order to ascertain if it would not be possible for the Government Hospitals to charge fees for medical and surgical consultatious and treatment given by the medical staff to all persons admitted to the hospital except those Government Ser- vants who are entitled by their contracts to free medical service and those members of the community who have not the means to pay for such services. Such fees should, of course, be approximately on the same scale as the fees charged by private practitioners. It is understood that arrangements on these lines are at present in force at the Govern- ment Hospitals in Singapore and the Dominions Committee sees no reason why a similar arrangement should not be set up in Hong Kong.
I am,
etc.,
(Sd.)
G. C. ANDERSON,
Deputy Medical Secretary.
Under Secretary of State for the Colonies,
Colonial Office,
Whitehall, S.W. 1.
In reply the following despatch was addressed to the Secretary of State.
No. 102.
GOVERNMENT HOUSE,
SIR,
HONG KONG, 11th March, 1925.
I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your despatch No. 359 of the 15th November with regard to the terms on which patients are admitted to Government Hospital in this Colony.
2. After careful consideration I have come to the conclusion that it would not be possible to work such a system as is suggested in the letter from the British Medical Association of the 22nd October, unless this Government definitely adopted the principle of allowing all medical officers the right of private practice. There is something to be said for the adoption of this principle as competition would reduce the very high fees charged by private practitioners here, but I do not think that the proposal would be regarded as satisfactory by the existing medical firms.
I have, etc.,
R. E. STUBBS, Governor, &c.
The Right Honourable
Lieutenant-Colonel L. C. M. S. AMERY, M.P.,
&c.,
&c.,
&c.