Outpatient services for Hong Kong’s first hospital dedicated to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) will start at HK$180 (US$23.10) per visit, with the operator describing the fees as affordable.
The Chinese Medicine Hospital of Hong Kong in Tseung Kwan O also said on Wednesday that staff recruitment had been smooth and there would not be any manpower shortages affecting its launch on December 11.
Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau was confident the facility would establish a new model for a TCM hospital, one that featured pure Chinese medicine supported by integrated Chinese-Western medicine.
“Apart from providing healthcare services to members of the public, its missions include training and education, research, collaboration and creating health values,” Lo said, adding the hospital could contribute to the growth of TCM both locally and nationally.
Located on Pak Shing Kok Road, the hospital will open in phases. It is owned by the government and run by Baptist University on a public-private partnership model.
Dr Cheung Wai-lun, project director of the Chinese Medicine Hospital Project Office of the Health Bureau, said 65 per cent of the services would be subsidised and extended to all residents. The remaining 35 per cent will operate on a market-oriented basis.