Dental
treatment
doesn’t have
to break
the bank
Examination
room at
the Family
Planning
Association
with elective vaccinations at our private
clinic,” says Alyssa Chan, a property
consultant and mother-of-two.
Alyssa says that for the past three
years her eldest daughter has benefitted
from the Student Health Service and the
School Dental Care Service (SDCS).
At the start of the school year, her
daughter brings home a single form that
covers both medical and dental services.
Alyssa fills it out, encloses $20 and
returns it to the school. At some point
during the year, she receives notification
of her daughter’s annual appointments.
The School Dental Care Service
includes an oral examination, preventive
dental treatment and basic restorative
dental treatment. The Student Health
Service, depending on the child’s age,
includes a physical examination and
screening for health problems related
to growth, nutrition, blood pressure,
vision, hearing, the spine, psychological
health and behaviour, individual health
counselling and health education.
NGO healthcare
The public sector is not the only option
for value-for-money healthcare. Whilst
their offerings all come with a price
tag, the Family Planning Association’s
menu of affordable services makes for
exhaustive reading.
Take, for example, their compre-
hensive women’s health check-up.
For $500, you get a general physical
examination (including measurement
of blood pressure, pulse rate, body
weight and height; examination of the
thyroid, abdomen, breasts and pelvis;
auscultation of the heart and lung,
urine analysis (for glucose and protein),
pap-test (where appropriate); and you’re
also taught how to examine your breasts.
The NGO also provides osteoporosis
care, menopause check-ups, sexual
and reproductive health counselling and
men’s healthcare, to name but a few of
the services available.
Keep it private
Hong Kong’s Government boasts an
exemplary healthcare system that
provides millions of people every year
with high-quality treatments. However,
to some people, the public system is
synonymous with long waiting times, a
reduction in comfort and privacy, and
unfamiliar doctors. For these reasons,
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