Private hospital in limbo after Hong Kong clinic’s HK$400,000 debt: lawmaker

A private hospital and a medical centre have been left in a difficult position after the abrupt suspected closure of Alliance Medical Group left unpaid bills of more than HK$400,000 (HK$51,610) and patients without follow-up care, according to a lawmaker and the test firm.

As of Sunday night, patients’ complaints, covering parents prepaying vaccination packages for their children, lodged with authorities and the Consumer Council have surged to nearly 2,000.

Chan Hoi-yan, a member of the Legislative Council’s panel on health services, on Monday called on the government to address “loopholes” in the relevant legislation and pointed out Alliance group might be “just the tip of the iceberg, given the current economic climate”.

She said a private hospital, which declined to be named, was owed more than HK$400,000 by Alliance and was trying to contact affected patients to ensure they receive necessary follow-up care.

Meanwhile, ApexHealth, a test centre affected by the suspected closure, had announced it was reaching out to patients to distribute their test reports for free.

“The hospital’s laboratory has been receiving specimens from Alliance Medical Group for conducting tests on their behalf,” Chan said. “Alliance’s doctor still ordered tests on April 22. This year’s bills are not yet repaid by Alliance, with the amount at least HK$400,000.”