Hospitals will face tougher regulations in a number of areas, including fee transparency, and much stiffer fines for breaching regulations
EMILY.TSANG@SCMP.COM
PUBLISHED : Monday, 18 January, 2016, 5:02pm
UPDATED : Monday, 18 January, 2016, 5:02pm
Private hospitals will have to set out all fees and inform patients of the estimated total cost before procedures.
Long-awaited legislation to end dubious practices in the private health care sector is expected to be enacted before the end of the Hong Kong government’s term in 2017, the Post has learnt.
It will cover areas such as corporate governance, standards of facilities, clinical quality and price transparency, with much steeper fines imposed for violations.
Private hospitals will have to provide a schedule setting out all fees and informing patients of the estimated total charge for non-emergency operations before the procedures.
The aim is to restore public confidence in the private sector, which is often criticised for overcharging, lack of quality control, and a reluctance to handle complaints and medical blunders.
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It is the one major reform in the medical sector most likely to be passed within the remaining term of Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying and is expected to be tabled to lawmakers after the Legislative Council elections this year, according to a government source.
“We do not expect much resistance from lawmakers as the issue is not controversial,” said the source from the Food and Health Bureau, who predicted a smooth passage of the bill through Legco.
“The regulations for private hospitals and clinics have long been criticised as too lax and outdated amid an evolving landscape of health care services. It is time to strengthen the government’s role in supervising the quality of these services.”
The government expected the move to pave the way for another revamp of the medical insurance scheme, which encourages people to use private health care services to ease the burden on the understaffed public sector.
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A proposal to revamp the doctors’ regulatory body will also be submitted to Legco in the first quarter of this year in an attempt to restore public confidence in the profession.
But legislation on a proposed voluntary medical insurance scheme, which is more controversial, is not likely to be completed within Leung’s term.
Under the new requirements on private health services, providers will need to obtain a licence for premises from the Department of Health, which could impose layers of penalties in case of violations.
A public consultation on the proposal ended on December 15, 2014, and the government is drafting details of the bill. Legislation will replace two outdated ordinances: the Housing, Nursing Homes and Maternity Homes Registration Ordinance and the Medical Clinics Ordinance.
It will cover 19 regulatory aspects, with private hospitals required to set up a channel to handle complaints over disputes or possible medical blunders , which will be directed to a centralised system supervised by the Department of Health.
Private hospitals currently face a maximum penalty of a HK$2,000 for any violation, which is far too low to have any deterrent effect. This will be increased to a maximum of HK$5 million or imprisonment for two years, and suspension of the licence.
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The source also revealed that private hospitals run by religious groups would need to admit a certain proportion of medical professions on their boards, which are currently made up of clergymen.
“We noticed that some private hospitals with church backgrounds now have a governing board formed only by sisters or other clergymen who do not have medical backgrounds. This is not a good way to govern a health care institution,” the government source said.
“Being a board member of a hospital is a huge responsibility since they will have to bear the consequences of professional misconduct. There should be at least a certain amount of decision-makers being doctors.”
Patients’ Rights Association spokesman Tim Pang Hung-cheong welcomed the bill and hoped it could be enacted as soon as possible.
An appeal system should also be in place to handle public complaints rejected by the hospitals and Department of Health, he said.
http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1902324/hong-kong-government-confident-passing-bill-end
