Public hospitals to work closely with private doctors as winter flu season beckons in Hong Kong

Hospital Authority has introduced new measures to deal with the rising flu surge, including providing patients with higher subsidies to visit private clinics

Private doctors helping out at public hospitals during the flu season will also earn more, with their hourly wage increasing from US$90 to US$128

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Doctors seen at an accident and emergency department in Kwong Wah Hospital during the winter flu surge in January 2019. Photo: Sam Tsang

Published: 10:54pm, 28 Nov 2019Updated: 12:37am, 29 Nov 2019

Public hospitals in Hong Kong will expand their partnership with the private sector as a way to cope with the upcoming peak flu season, the city’s hospital authority said on Thursday.

Measures to boost the public health care system include increasing the number of cheaper consultations for patients visiting private clinics, and raising the hourly salary of private doctors helping out at public hospitals.

“We hope to make good use of the resources in the private sector to help deal with the upcoming challenges,” said Ian Cheung, chief manager in cluster performance of the Hospital Authority.

Cheung admitted there was a shortage of a few hundred doctors in public hospitals, despite a net increase of 159 doctors this year.

A banner displaying measures to cope with the winter surge is seen at Ruttonjee hospital, Wan Chai. Photo: Joanathan Wong

Hong Kong saw a serious winter flu surge in 2017 and 2018, with 384 deaths and 356 deaths, respectively.

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