Shenzhen hospital to pay University of Hong Kong advance by 2023

A Shenzhen hospital managed by the University of Hong Kong is expected to repay a HK$200 million advance, to fund clinical management and supervision, by 2023, the chairman of HKU's governing council says.

The HKU-Shenzhen Hospital in Futian also started accepting health care vouchers from Hongkongers aged at least 70 from Tuesday.

Under the scheme, each eligible Hongkonger gets HK$2,000 in a registered voucher account that can pay for medical services in the private sector.

"They are not required to stay on the mainland," Chief Secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said.  "The elderly, especially those living in North district, can also use the vouchers in the well-equipped HKU-Shenzhen Hospital."

HKU council chairman Edward Leong Che-hung said the hospital would be able to break even in 2017 and return the HK$200 million granted for operational needs.

READ MORE: Hong Kong elderly health care scheme extended to HKU-Shenzhen hospital under new deal

In July last year, HKU and the Shenzhen government argued over who should pay for the hospital's debts, with reports saying the school's chances of recovering the sum were not high. Shenzhen deputy mayor Wu Yihuan said the repayment would be forthcoming only when the hospital was financially viable.