Geriatrician Tony Ko Pat-sing approved to be next head of Hong Kong’s Hospital Authority
- Currently the authority’s director of cluster services, Ko will replace Leung Pak-yin when he steps down next year
- Choice of a geriatrician could be related to the challenges of an ageing population the authority faces
Geriatrician Tony Ko Pat-sing is expected be the next chief executive of the Hospital Authority, which runs all Hong Kong’s public hospitals, after current head Dr Leung Pak-yin, retires next year.
Two sources from the authority confirmed to the Post that its board met last Thursday and endorsed appointing Ko, in his early 50s, to the top job. Leung, 59, is expected to step down in the middle of the year although his contract only ends next November.
Ko’s appointment will need the approval of Hong Kong’s chief executive, Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, according to one of the sources, who also said there were local and foreign candidates in the running for the job.
While reasons for appointing Ko have not been disclosed, his speciality in geriatric medicine is apparently relevant to the problems facing the city’s public health care system.
Tackling the city’s ageing population has become a daunting task for Hong Kong as the number of Hongkongers aged 80 or above has increased by 67 per cent to more than 340,000, taking up a bigger proportion of the city’s total population compared to a decade ago, according to the Census and Statistics Department.
Before taking up his current role with the authority, Ko had been the chief executive of the New Territories West group of public hospitals, as well as the chief executive of Tuen Mun Hospital, from July 2014 to March this year.