Hospital chiefs are looking for ways to cut unnecessary admissions and referrals to specialists as a way of reducing the financial burden on the cash-strapped Hospital Authority.
Patients who can be cared for by general practitioners should not be referred to the more expensive specialist care, says Hung Chi-tim, the chief executive of the authority's Kowloon Central Cluster.
'Some patients who complain of chest pain may not have heart problems; it is unnecessary to refer them to cardiologists,' Dr Hung said.
'Another example is diabetes. Many [diabetics] can be taken care of by a general practitioner instead of a specialist in internal medicine. Experts at the general outpatient clinics can help doctors there make decisions on patients' referrals.'
The cluster runs Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Hong Kong's biggest public hospital, with 1,850 beds.
To augment finances, Dr Hung said he was also looking for new sources of funding, such as leasing hospital space for commercial advertisements.
