Hong Kong’s public outpatient clinics to focus on serving city’s vulnerable: health chief

Hong Kong’s public outpatient clinics will shift their focus to serve the city’s disadvantaged and vulnerable, while most residents will be encouraged to seek care from their community family doctors rather than rely on government resources, the health chief has said.

Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau said on Sunday the government needed to use its resources more effectively to safeguard residents’ well-being under a healthcare reform.

“Those with chronic illnesses or mild diseases such as cold and flu should not go to the Hospital Authority. They should turn to our family doctors, and most of them are in the private sector,” Lo told a television programme.

“Otherwise, no matter how many doctors we train, it will be wasted.”

Lo said the government would take on the responsibility of caring for “a small portion of people who cannot afford healthcare” through existing outpatient clinics, such as those living in poverty and relying on public welfare.

The threshold of coverage was likely to be based on family income, he added.