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Health

Medical Charges and Waivers

Fees for public hospital and clinic services are government-subsidised at a rate of 96.9 per cent. Under a medical fee waiver mechanism, the Hospital Authority grants waivers to needy groups including CSSA recipients, low-income patients, Higher Old Age Living Allowance recipients aged 75 or above, the chronically ill and elderly patients with financial difficulties.

Private Hospitals

Private hospitals complement the public sector by providing a range of specialist and hospital services. The 12 private hospitals served 375,027 inpatients in 2018, representing 17 per cent of the city's total number of inpatients. Spending on private inpatient services amounted to $23.6 billion in 2017-18, accounting for 37 per cent of overall expenditure on public and private inpatient services.

End-of-life Care

In September, the government launched a public consultation on legislative proposals about advance directives and dying in place, both of which are important measures to respect the healthcare choice of a person who is approaching the end of life.

Major Developments

Public Hospital Development Projects

In 2019, the refurbishment of Hong Kong Buddhist Hospital was substantially completed. Demolition and substructure works for phase 1 redevelopment of Kwong Wah Hospital was also completed and the main works began. Other new or ongoing projects included main works for phase 1 redevelopment of Queen Mary Hospital and the extension of Tuen Mun Hospital's Operating Theatre Block; phase 2 and 3 redevelopment of Kwai Chung Hospital; preparatory and foundation works for phase 2 stage 1 redevelopment of Prince of Wales Hospital and the construction of a new acute hospital at the Kai Tak Development Area; preparatory works for the redevelopment of Our Lady of Maryknoll Hospital, phase 1 redevelopment of Grantham Hospital and the expansion of North District Hospital and Princess Margaret Hospital (Lai King Building); the expansion of Haven of Hope Hospital; demolition and substructure works for the expansion of United Christian Hospital; and the expansion of the Hong Kong Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service Headquarters.

Public-private Partnership Programmes

The government takes part in clinical public-private partnership programmes through the Hospital Authority. Services include cataract surgery, patient empowerment, haemodialysis, radiological investigation, infirmary services and colon assessment.

The Hospital Authority's General Outpatient Clinic Public-Private Partnership Programme subsidises clinically stable patients with hypertension and/or diabetes mellitus under the care of its general outpatient clinics to opt for primary care from the private sector. A total of 417 private doctors and 35,137 patients were participating in the programme as at end-2019.

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