Hong Kong’s Chinese Medicine Hospital to start 24-hour inpatient services in December

In December, the Chinese Medicine Hospital of Hong Kong will commence 24-hour inpatient services, marking the first of its kind in the city. This service will be available at a subsidised rate of HK$980 per day, more than three times the fee of public hospital inpatient charges, which range from HK$200 to HK$300 per day. The hospital, opened last December in Tseung Kwan O, has also unveiled 10 new special disease programmes this year, targeting conditions like eczema, Parkinson's disease, and Parkinson's.

The hospital aims to provide care for complex cases using a model where Chinese medicine takes the lead, integrated with Western medicine. It will offer 93 inpatient beds, including 60 subsidised and 33 non-subsidised ones, alongside 20 beds in its clinical trial and research centre, and two high-dependency beds. Subsidised inpatient care costs a fixed HK$980 daily, covering room fees, practitioner visits, Chinese medicine treatments, tests, and medication.

Dr. Cheung Wai-lun, project director of the Health Bureau’s Chinese Medicine Hospital Project Office, defended the higher charges, stating that a typical Chinese medicine clinic charges HK$980 or more for an outpatient consultation due to market rates. However, the hospital’s inpatient model offers a more comprehensive service, with collaboration between Chinese and Western medicine occurring more frequently and extensively.

Professor Bian Zhaoxiang, the hospital’s chief executive, emphasised that the launch of the inpatient service is a significant milestone, designed for complex conditions requiring systematic diagnosis and treatment, unstable cases needing 24-hour monitoring, or patients temporarily losing self-care ability. A non-subsidised inpatient special disease package can cost between HK$5,520 and HK$14,890 daily, depending on the room type and services.

To access the service, patients can be referred by the hospital’s outpatient services or other medical institutions. The hospital provides a medical fee waiver mechanism to support those with financial difficulties. The hospital will also introduce 10 additional special disease programmes later in the year, including treatments for functional gastrointestinal diseases, sub-health conditions, facial palsy, menopausal syndrome, skin eczema, integrated cancer care, seasonal influenza, and Parkinson's disease.