After immigrating to Hong Kong, many people have numerous questions regarding medical care in Hong Kong. Below, we will introduce how to handle emergency visits at private clinics in Hong Kong. The resources and equipment of private clinics cannot be compared to those of public or private hospitals. If further blood tests or imaging examinations are required, the clinic doctor will refer the patient to a nearby laboratory for testing and then return for a follow-up visit once the results are obtained. In addition, more complex cases requiring hospitalization or wounds that cannot be treated with simple bandaging are beyond the scope of a private practitioner; typically, these patients will be referred to public or private hospitals for continued treatment.
Regarding the fees for private clinics, a standard consultation for a cold, flu, or diarrhea, including registration, the consultation, and 2-3 days of medication, costs approximately 300-500 HKD. Of course, fees vary by clinic and doctor, and this figure is for reference only. Blood tests, X-rays, and other examinations require additional charges. If seeing a specialist, the fees are higher.
Having said that, let us discuss the difference between general practitioners and specialists.
Private doctors display their credentials in the most prominent places in their clinics; some doctors even have a long list of qualification certificates. In fact, to obtain a license to practice, a doctor must first obtain the basic undergraduate medical degree: Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS).
In Hong Kong, the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degree from the Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine at the University of Hong Kong is abbreviated as MBBS, while the degree from the Faculty of Medicine at the Chinese University of Hong Kong is abbreviated as MBChB. After completing five years of medical school and obtaining the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degree, all graduates must complete a one-year internship in a public hospital. During this year, interns are called Housemen or Interns, and they must rotate through internal medicine, surgery, and +/- obstetrics and gynecology/pediatrics, serving as the first line of clinical medical care in public hospital wards.
Do you remember the show "On Call 36 Hours" that everyone used to watch? That was a portrayal of Hong Kong interns. Once the one-year internship is completed, the Medical Council of Hong Kong issues a License of Registration, at which point the doctor can become a general practitioner and practice independently.
After obtaining the qualification of a general practitioner, most doctors choose to remain in public hospitals under the Hospital Authority to complete specialist training. Doctors must select a specialty, such as internal medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, or anesthesiology, and undergo 6-8 years of training, during which they must pass examinations from the relevant medical colleges to eventually become a specialist.
Doctors also continue their professional development by enrolling in relevant courses. If these courses are recognized by the Medical Council, they can be displayed as credentials. These courses are generally listed as diplomas or certificates; compared to medical degrees and specialist qualifications, diplomas and certificates are merely supplementary credentials. Hong Kong doctors are truly selected through layers of rigorous screening!
Because they have undergone longer professional training, specialists generally only see patients in their relevant fields. Furthermore, as there are fewer specialists compared to general practitioners, seeing a private specialist usually requires an appointment, and the fees are higher, often around 1,000 HKD for a consultation, with follow-up examinations potentially costing more. Typically, patients with special needs will seek out a specialist for emergency care. For example, parents in Hong Kong tend to take their children to the clinics of private pediatricians for medical care.
Hong Kong possesses a high-quality medical system that is incomparable to the mainland, which is why immigrating to Hong Kong has always been a popular choice for many immigrants!