How a Hong Kong doctor made international accreditation the norm for local hospitals
Renowned private doctor who returned from Australia realised quality sells
Private hospitals in Hong Kong have a lot to offer when it comes to medical skill, attentive care, quality service, cutting-edge technology, appealing food, and even five-star accommodation. But little more than two decades ago, Private Hospitals Association chairman Dr Anthony Lee Kai-yiu said the sector was a dying business.
At the time, Lee was a renowned private doctor in immunology and rheumatology practising in Australia. The restless Hong Kong native, however, decided to return home in search of a challenging new career in 1990, around the same time the Hospital Authority was formed. The then British colonial government granted the authority a considerable budget to improve public hospital conditions, phase out temporary cotton gauze beds and build new and better-designed blocks and facilities.
Private hospitals soon began feeling the heat of competition. By 1995, demand for private services dropped from 5 per cent to just 3 per cent. And still today, the overwhelming majority of Hongkongers seek care at public hospitals.
Amid this decline, in 1996, Lee took up the challenge of heading Union Hospital, which at the time was a two-year-old private facility in Shatin developed by Henderson Land Development. Confronting the business crisis head on, he steered the hospital towards offering good quality services at a price point that patients were willing to pay. He pushed hard to improve standards by setting benchmarks, with a view to attaining international accreditation, and by the late 1990s, Union Hospital had became one of the first accredited private facilities in the city. Many other private hospitals soon followed suit.
Today, Lee is a leading proponent in the field of hospital accreditation. He serves on a government working group focused on private hospital regulation. In December, the Australian Council on Health care Standards presented him a medal recognising his contributions to promoting quality in health care.