Hairdressers make more than medics from each client, says union boss

Doctors have called for swift regulation of health maintenance organisations to protect the rights of doctors and patients.

Doctors' Union president Henry Yeung Chiu-fat said: 'The HMOs cap the consultation budgets of contracted doctors, which can significantly affect the quality of services that the patients receive. Even a hairdresser earns more than HK$50 from each client. How can you expect the doctors to provide high-quality medical services for less than HK$50? It may not even cover the cost of drugs.'

Dr Yeung said many doctors joined HMOs, even though they knew the traps, because there was a vicious cycle in the market.

'Many patients visit a doctor because the doctor is within their company's medical insurance coverage,' he said. 'Many doctors are forced to join the game to survive.'

In March the government proposed the idea of HMOs appointing doctors as medical directors, responsible for overseeing their medical operations. But Dr Yeung said that was too lax, suggesting regulation through legislation instead.

The president of the Medical Association, Choi Kin, is concerned that there is almost no regulation of health maintenance organisations. He wants to see a registration scheme for HMOs, with rules similar to those regulating doctors.