Hong Kong should crack down on illegal medical practices, DAB party urges

Hong Kong authorities should step up efforts against illegal medical practices, the city’s largest political party has urged, after the organisation received about 100 complaints related to non-professionals allegedly offering pain relief services.

Lawmaker Chan Wing-kwong of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) said on Friday that some of the services cost tens of thousands of Hong Kong dollars – more expensive than the treatments provided by registered specialists.

“Many of those centres would say they offer alternative therapy, naturopathy or describe themselves as bone setters or pain relief centres,” said Chan, who is also a registered Chinese medicine practitioner.

“They know how to take advantage of the legal loopholes and would not say directly that they are offering medical treatments. Instead, they will use business sales tactics to mislead the public, who could think those centres are proper clinics.”

Chan, who proposed a motion to combat illegal medical practices set to be debated in the Legislative Council next week, urged the government to take the issue seriously and actively conduct inspections at centres that claimed to offer pain-relief treatments.

He said the DAB had received about 100 complaints related to pain relief services offered by allegedly non-registered professionals.