A community public hospital will buy a private CT scanner and sell public patients scanning services in the first public-private partnership of its kind.
Our Lady of Maryknoll Hospital in Wong Tai Sin has been complaining of a lack of resources and modern medical equipment that has left it 'substandard' for the population of 430,000 in the area it serves.
The South China Morning Post reported last year that unlike other acute hospitals in Hong Kong, the 230-bed hospital does not have a computerised tomography (CT) scanner or 24-hour X-ray services.
That makes it hard to treat patients with strokes or breathing difficulties - two common conditions among the ageing population. The Hospital Authority acknowledges Our Lady of Maryknoll's need for a CT scanner but says it is not a priority.
However, authority chief executive Shane Solomon said the hospital would pioneer a public-private partnership in diagnostic scanning. The authority plans to buy a guaranteed volume of such services from hospitals to serve its public patients.
Our Lady of Maryknoll chief executive Dr Wong Tak-cheung said the governing board would apply for HK$12 million in funding from the Jockey Club to buy a CT scanner, which the hospital hopes will be available by the end of the year.