Health associations to forge united front on reform paper
Leaders of medical, dental and hospital associations are to meet next week in an attempt to forge a united front on the Government's controversial health-care reform document.
Legislator Dr Lo Wing-lok, who represents the medical sector, said the first meeting would be held on Thursday. It was being organised by leaders of professional bodies.
The committee includes representatives of the Hong Kong Medical Association, which Dr Lo heads as president, the Private Hospitals' Association, the Public Doctors' Association, the Government Doctors' Association, the Dental Association and the Practising Estate Doctors' Association.
'We will also organise forums for the associations to talk about the content of the consultation document . . . and to try to get a consensus among us,' Dr Lo said.
Fears have been expressed that proposed changes in the health-care system outlined in a Green Paper released on December 12 could drastically change the way doctors and other health-care professionals do business.
The reform calls for the creation of a complaints office in the Department of Health to investigate patients' complaints against health-care professionals. The department also would be a powerful monitor and regulator of medical services, covering private hospitals, clinics, nursing homes and health management organisations.
Secretary for Health and Welfare Dr Yeoh Eng-kiong has said the existing complaints systems 'are not transparent enough; they don't deal with complainants equitably'. He said the Health Department would be in a better position if it played 'a more independent role' and made the professional complaints system 'more transparent'.
The Medical Council and Dental Council now investigate and discipline professionals.
A committee would be set up next year to formulate a detailed plan for the complaints office, a spokeswoman for the Health Department said yesterday.
The department will also set up a local accreditation system, through which health-care facilities can set benchmarks for the quality of their services.
