Dr Ko Wing-man notes cross-border patients are driving up demand following mainland China scandal
NG KANG-CHUNG AND EMILY TSANG
UPDATED : Monday, 28 March, 2016, 9:25am
A recent vaccines scandal in mainland China has triggered a run on supplies in the city by cross-border patients. Photo: AP
Vaccination services for non-local children could be suspended if demand from cross-border patients dries up supplies for locals as a result of a mainland scandal, Hong Kong health authorities said yesterday.
Secretary for Food and Health Dr Ko Wing-man said there was no indication the city would reach such a stage, but the government would be keeping an eye on vaccine stocks and could order more if needed to ensure adequate supplies for local children.
This came amid mounting concerns among local parents that a flood of worried mainlanders seeking safer services in the city for their children could dry up Hong Kong’s own supplies. A scandal over illegal, improperly handled and potentially dangerous vaccines has shattered the confidence of mainlanders.
Official figures showed that up to last Tuesday, local public health care facilities had this year served 1,129 non-local children, up 27 per cent from 889 for the same period last year.
So far, neither the public nor private medical sector has reported any sign of a vaccine shortage.
“The Department of Health has a mechanism to ensure there would be sufficient vaccines for local children,” Ko said. “There is a cap for non-local children getting services [at public maternal and child health centres]. But figures in the recent one or two years showed the proportion of non-locals was very small.”
Department figures showed 4,008 non-locals sought consultation at child health centres last year, up from 3,263 in 2014. The numbers made up 0.65 per cent and 0.53 per cent of all the cases in 2015 and 2014, respectively.
A spokesman said the department adopted a “local children first” policy and those who were not eligible could only try their luck booking into the public family health service.
“For example, if we can handle 100 cases a day and 90 are filled, we can allow non-locals to book the service for the remaining 10. And they have to pay full fees,” the spokesman.
The fees for non-eligible children to get vaccinated against chickenpox and pneumonia range from HK$245 to HK$405 per dose. Hong Kong-born children aged 11 or below can get the vaccines for free.
“If needed, we may consider temporarily suspending vaccination services for non-eligible children,” the spokesman said.
The health minister also confirmed there wasno evidence of a vaccine shortage in the private sector.
Civic Party lawmaker Dr Kwok Ka-ki said he supported the government’s “local children first” policy but warned it was too early to ascertain the impact of the mainland’s vaccine scandal on Hong Kong.
Dr Wilson Fung Yee-leung, a Hong Kong paediatrician, shared similar views. “For vaccine shots, you do not need to get one every day,” he said. “Usually, you will need to wait for two months or so after taking the first dose. So, I would expect a steady rise in demand from mainland children, rather than a sudden surge.”
Fung said he would see it as a business opportunity. “The government should not entertain mainland children so it can focus its resources in dealing with overcrowdedness in public hospitals and let the private sector deal with the mainland children,” he said.
The mainland scandal broke last month when a woman and her daughter who allegedly sold nearly US$100 million worth of sub-standard vaccine products across the country were detained.
http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1931211/drastic-measure-hong-kong-health-chief-may-suspend
