If integrating the Pearl River Delta were likened to completing a giant jigsaw puzzle, health care would almost certainly be among the final pieces to be fixed in place.
While someone in a Shenzhen mall could be just as easily shopping at Pacific Place in Admiralty, the scenario is not so transferable for a Hongkonger receiving medical treatment at a mainland hospital.
Glucose or saline intravenous drips given to a packed hallway of patients - not always necessary but a common way for mainland hospitals to make the profit to cover doctors' fees - are rarely seen in Hong Kong.
Receiving red packets from patients for better or faster service is still common among mainland doctors, but it is an unlawful practice here.
Cultural gaps and differences in medical practices and patient-doctor relations between the two places are still vast, according to some health care workers in Hong Kong.
But a groundbreaking project is being launched in Shenzhen to try to integrate Hong Kong-style health care with that of the mainland.
