Staff at private hospitals will be more susceptible to taking bribes as demand from mainlanders for Hong Kong's obstetric services rises, says the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC).
The government this year reduced its quota for such births at public hospitals.
The warning came as the ICAC reported on its work last year, when corruption complaints surged 13 per cent, with most involving the private sector.
Albert Au Siu-cheung, chairman of the ICAC's corruption prevention advisory committee, said the watchdog sees a bigger risk of graft at private hospitals this year, since unscrupulous agencies or obstetricians might bribe hospital staff to help expectant mainlanders to secure beds, after the number of such deliveries at public hospitals was capped at 3,400.
'The acute situation not only causes public concerns about private hospitals failing to meet local residents' needs and the corporate social responsibility expected of them, but also gives rise to risks of corruption or malpractice in local private hospitals,' Au said.
He said the ICAC had compiled guidelines on the management of obstetric services at private hospitals and hosted an anti-graft seminar for the hospitals' managers.