Private hospitals are striving to extend their reach into the Pearl River Delta and beyond, but fear their efforts will be hampered by restrictions on advertising at home.
The Union Hospital plans to invest 20 million yuan in a hair-restoration clinic in Guangzhou, while the Baptist Hospital has formed a partnership in Macau as the first step of its push into the delta.
But both are unsure how far they can go in promoting their services without falling foul of the Hong Kong Medical Council's ban on advertising by doctors.
The Union Hospital's plans include a customer-service point introducing its medical services.
'We are considering doing road shows in big cities like Beijing and Shanghai as well,' said Ares Leung Kwok-ling, the Sha Tin hospital's deputy medical director.
But the hospital is uneasy about the move in case it contravenes the Hong Kong advertising ban.
The Union Hospital's clinic will provide a new 'direct hair implantation' technique, for which it has exclusive rights on the mainland.
