When this Bulletin arrives in your office, the composition of the 3rd Term of the HKSAR Government has already been announced. In the midst of the recent Hong Kong economic boom and the crowds in the restaurants, jewelry shops and in the ports for travel, we are one of the few professionals that are being forgotten in Hong Kong, at least, in the eyes of the Government. We are the ones who are sacrificed in return for a prosperous Hong Kong.
You may wonder why should I make such a remark?
The answer is simple. Our prestige has declined in the eyes of the Hong Kong citizens. It is not the question of the vanish of our Golden Age, it is the big problem of the beginning of a Dark Age, the Dark age introduced by HMOs ˇV whether private or public.
We have been working hard to maintain high standard of medical care in Hong Kong, evidenced by our superb health care indexes. We have not shed our duties in the period of SARS. We even lost our lives ˇV whether public and private ˇV in the protection of the Hong Kong citizens during SARS epidemics. And what have we got in return ˇV decreased Professional recognition and increased complaints received every day. Furthermore, private colleagues, not only those in the public estates owned by the Link and the Hong Kong Housing Authority, are facing high rentals and on the verge of closing. The living of some colleagues are even at stake. I have heard examples of private doctors operating with one clinic assistant, or even none in order to make ends meet.
We have complained to the Administration about the wrong doings and ill effects of HMOs in Hong Kong, even finger pointing to some HMOs last year. Apart from evidence of unfair treatment, unreasonable pay by HMOs, we even named those Health Insurance Companies for imposing unethical rules on our front line doctors to follow on the management of patients. Yet the Administration just turned a blind eye to the problem HMOs and even ˇ§plannedˇ¨ to collaborate with them in creating something like Government HMO, which I have elaborated in February 2007 issue of HKDU Bulletin. The recent closing down of another HMO (The first HMO ceased operation suddenly in 2002) leaving bad debts to their panel doctors is strong evidence that there should be immediate legislative regulation to control the operations ˇV no matter medical or financial ˇV of those private profiteering HMOs. Yet the reply from the Administration in the meeting of the Health Panel of the Legislative Council on 11th June 2007 turned out that she would never change in protecting the HMOs even though she has learned the US mistakes! She has all the excuses of not acting against the tycoons operating the HMOs!
One of the excuses, I think, that the Administration dare not touch on the private HMOs is she herself is trying to contain cost too in the public sector. From the demands of our colleagues in the Front Line Doctorsˇ¦ Union, it is easily recognized that the operating principle of the Hospital Authority (HA) in containing costs is turning towards that of the private HMOs. The directors and CEOs of the HA are retaining their high pay while the Front line doctorsˇ¦ salaries are being squeezed, and there is no increase in salaries for them when there is economic boom in Hong Kong and even when there is corresponding salary increase in Government Servants recently. This is exactly what happens in private contract medicine. The reimbursement for consultation is decreasing in the past 10 years while the owners (whether doctors or non-doctors) of private HMOs are making a great fortune, some even use ˇ§illegal commercial activitiesˇ¨ through termination of business to make greater fortune. Of course, the morale in panel doctors of private HMOs is as low as that in the front line doctors of HA, which can be considered the superb HMO in Hong Kong.
We have had enough!! Together we should push the Administration harder for the control of HMOs. Together we should help our HA front line colleagues to get their fair pay and fair treatment as well as help those in the private. We do not agree to most parts of the report on Preliminary Findings on Development and Financing of Hong Kongˇ¦s Future Health Care presented by The Bauhinia Foundation Research Centre Health Care Study Group since it strives to control the private family doctors at no cost. Or else, we shall all be under scrutiny and there will be no professional freedom!
Compared to Lawyers, Engineers and Accountants, are we Second Class Professional? I think our Legislative Representative should work harder and faster towards reviving our dignity and our professional status. We cannot accept delay or empty promises from the Administration!
Dr. Yeung Chiu Fat Henry