Government splashes out $16.1b to improve public hospitals

Approximately $700m will go to doctors, nurses and the Hospital Authority’s supporting staff.

The government will utilise a total sum of $16.1b to improve Hong Kong’s public hospital services, according to financial secretary Paul Chan.

Chan previously noted in the 2019-2020 Budget that authorities would provide short and medium-term measures to enhance the country’s healthcare services.

Of the total sum, $10b will be set aside for a stabilisation fund which can be deployed whenever the Hospital Authority finds it necessary, he said.

Also read: Government injects $10b to set up public healthcare stabilisation fund

“The rest, about $700m, is to improve the allowances for medical doctors, nurses and also the remuneration of supporting staff at the Hospital Authority,” Chan added.

Another $5b was earmarked to help the authority upgrade its medical equipment and buy advanced medical devices for treating cancer and other diseases requiring specialty services, whilst an additional recurrent subvention of $400m will be used to expand the scope of drugs subsidised by the government.

“All in all, these are short-term and medium-term measures to help improve the services of the medical sector,” he said.