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Healthcare seen as HK birthright
 As expected, the Hong Kong government has put aside a lump sum to help
bankroll the proposed healthcare reform. What is surprising is the sheer
size of the provision. At HK$50 billion ($6.4 billion), it is nearly
half the entire HK$115.6 billion budget surplus for 2007. Of course,
there are people who complain that it is still not enough. But
considering the fact that the amount provided can more than cover the
total healthcare expenditure for the year, that is plenty.
Good as it is, the healthcare system in Hong Kong is facing financial
strain that is expected to get worse in coming years. The government has
warned that healthcare costs can balloon to more than HK$180 billion a
year by 2033.
The share of healthcare in total government expenditure is expected to
rise to 17 percent by 2012 from slightly below 15 percent. It is
expected to eventually rise to over 27 percent, raising concern that the
quality of service cannot be sustained without a major revamp of the
financing arrangements.
For that reason, the allocation of funds to meet contingency needs
arising from the proposed healthcare financing reform seems most
appropriate. Noting that details of the reform will be made public soon,
Financial Secretary John Tsang Chun-wah was quoted as saying: “It does
not matter what the ultimate healthcare-financing proposal will be like,
we will be giving out this HK$50 billion.”
This funding appropriation has indicated the government’s strong
commitment to the proposed healthcare reform that would touch the lives
of nearly all Hong Kong citizens who have taken quality and an
affordable medical service for granted.
To many of us who have worked and lived overseas, the Hong Kong
healthcare system was the ultimate social safety net that never failed
to lend us a strong sense of security. It was comforting to know that if
we ever fell ill, we could always return home for care.
I was rushed to hospital after a bad car accident in Hong Kong many
years ago. None of the nurses or doctors asked me if I had insurance
coverage, or enough money to pay the bill. They just gave me the medical
care I needed. The next morning, a stern-faced hospital administrator
came to visit me in the ward. I did not know what to expect until she
asked me if I needed social service assistance for myself and family.
I stayed in hospital for a week and was charged only for the meals. The
total bill was HK$35, and the food was actually not bad at all.
There must be millions of other people in Hong Kong who, like me, look
upon our healthcare system as sacrosanct. Any attempt to tamper with it
would arouse our strong suspicions and deep concerns.
We understand intellectually, at least, that because of the aging
population and rapidly rising costs, our society will find it more
difficult to afford a healthcare system that provides the level of
affordable and quality medical service, which has become the envy of
many other cities in the region.
While we recognize the need for change, we urge our government to
clearly draw the bottom line, that no Hong Kong citizen, irrespective of
his or her financial status and social standing, will be denied timely
and quality medical service.
Hong Kong people seldom ask their government for handouts. They believe
in self-reliance. But affordable and quality healthcare has never been
seen as a form of handout. Rather, it is regarded as our birthright.
—The Daily Mail, China Daily news exchange item |
