A ffordable
Healthcare?
Angela Baura investigates ways you can
maximise your healthcare in Hong Kong
I
have the nicest dentist. We have no
health insurance and he only charges
when he does work and he does not
do work unless it is necessary. That,
for me, in a town that seems to charge
you to simply breathe is so refreshing,”
Charlotte Douglas, a yoga instructor
and mother-of-two, says of her private
dentist at Fung King Yan Clinic in
Causeway Bay.
In a city renowned for its extortionate
cost of living, you’d be forgiven for
thinking that a visit to a dentist to clean
your crowns or a doctor to snuff out
your sniffles will cost you an arm and a
leg. But, as Charlotte attests, there is a
plethora of low-cost, high-value ways to
keep your health on track in Hong Kong.
Depending on the situation, Charlotte
has either relied on public services
(“$100 for an x-ray and treatment on a
broken bone at Queen Mary Hospital!”
she says), private care, or a clever
concoction of both.
“I go with my gut feel. When my
daughter had an infection on her leg,
for example, we went to our local clinic
50
www.playtimes.com.hk
on Lamma Island. The consultation and
medication cost $50. Another time, I
saw a private dermatologist because I
had a basal cell carcinoma that needed
removing. I was referred to Queen Mary
Hospital and my case was marked
urgent. I was contacted a couple of
days later, tested to ensure it wasn’t
aggressive and then had surgery, which
was performed by a head surgeon – all
within three months and for $500!”
Add non-governmental organisation
(NGO) services into the healthcare mix,
and you’re guaranteed to get the best for
your buck. Here’s how:
Go public
Hong Kong boasts a formidable public
healthcare system that provides anyone
with a Hong Kong identity card, as well
as children under 11, access to quality
medical treatment.
There are currently 42 hospitals and
institutions, 73 general outpatient clinics
and 47 specialist out-patient clinics
(SOPCs), managed by the Hospital
Authority Hong Kong.
Matilda
International
Hospital offers
a variety of
maternity
packages