The Hong Kong Health Sector

The book covers the period from British colonisation of Hong Kong in 1841 through to the present day. It looks at the way in which the health sector developed, the structural arrangements that resulted, and the manner in which the health system functions today.

This book provides a significant contribution to the discussions about the future of the system.The evidence-driven content draws from the deep expertise and experience of a wide spectrum of contributors, who represent virtually all relevant areas of the health system.

First published in 1999, this book constitutes a unique account of the development and reform of health care in Hong Kong. Its main focus is on policy developments since 1945. Victor Wong demonstrates the development of a two-tier health system in both a capitalist and Chinese context. His work is one of both health policy and political economy. Wong utilises the latter perspective to show the state’s role in the interests of capital, the public demand for health care and the power of the medical profession. Alongside this, Wong brings in the role of Chinese and family medicine and the role of the family in cost containment and minimising the hospitalisation of elderly, frail and chronically ill patients. The volume is the most comprehensive analysis available for health policy in Hong Kong.

This book focuses on a seldom discussed topic despite its immeasurable impact on the health of the citizens and public health in Hong Kong—the development of outpatient medical services and their contributions. In the early 20th century, Chinese elite organized and operated a number of Chinese Public Dispensaries in Hong Kong and Kowloon, initially to reduce the prevalence of “dump bodies” on the streets during epidemics of smallpox or plague, and to determine the cause of death of these bodies. Later other services including domiciliary deliveries by trained midwives were added. The government founded similar clinics in the New Territories. After WWII, the government took over all the Chinese Public Dispensaries and operated them as general outpatient clinics. Over the years, more general clinics and special clinics were developed. These clinics helped improve the health indices of the population to those of the Western countries by the 1970s. Endorsement Modern-day medicine increasingly emphasises patient management on an outpatient basis. We are indebted to Professor Moira M. W. Chan-Yeung for her tireless efforts in researching the history of medical outpatient services in Hong Kong. Through this book, readers will gain insights into how outpatient medicine in the past has shaped the city’s modern day healthcare system, and have a glimpse into its future development. —Professor Lau Chak-sing, Head of Department of Medicine, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong An exemplary piece of scholarship that interprets the past and illuminates our future paths. Seldom has history, so dear and near, been told with such prides and hopes, for maestros and ordinary folks. —Professor Gilberto K. K. Leung, Clinical Professor and Associate Dean (Teaching & Learning), LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong

The emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in late 2002 and 2003 challenged the global public health community to confront a novel epidemic that spread rapidly from its origins in southern China until it had reached more than 25 other countries within a matter of months. In addition to the number of patients infected with the SARS virus, the disease had profound economic and political repercussions in many of the affected regions. Recent reports of isolated new SARS cases and a fear that the disease could reemerge and spread have put public health officials on high alert for any indications of possible new outbreaks. This report examines the response to SARS by public health systems in individual countries, the biology of the SARS coronavirus and related coronaviruses in animals, the economic and political fallout of the SARS epidemic, quarantine law and other public health measures that apply to combating infectious diseases, and the role of international organizations and scientific cooperation in halting the spread of SARS. The report provides an illuminating survey of findings from the epidemic, along with an assessment of what might be needed in order to contain any future outbreaks of SARS or other emerging infections.

Hong Kong is ageing fast and the pressure to improve health care is mounting. Should taxes be raised or social services be cut? Should the public buy more health insurance? Using unofficial statistics and his survey data of households, the author analyzes the economics of these questions.