Consumer Council advocates 5 recommendations to improve telehealth services in Hong Kong

An issue in the telehealth sector is the fragmented governance framework.

The Consumer Council has put forward five recommendations to promote the sustainable development of telehealth services in Hong Kong.

Due to the changing demands for healthcare services, the council conducted a study to understand the perception and experience of consumers and medical practitioners on telehealth services.

“Telehealth”, as defined by the World Health Organisation, refers to the delivery of healthcare services where patients and providers are separated by distance, using information and communication technologies.

The five recommendations of the council include strengthening the guidance for appropriate professions providing telehealth services, enhancing governance to cover telehealth platforms and communication tools, promoting market transparency, improving the usability of telehealth services, and educating consumers in safe usage of telehealth services.

In Hong Kong’s public sector, telehealth services have been provided by the Hospital Authority’s (HA) “HA Go” mobile application since 2021. The council, however, noted the absence of a comprehensive list for telehealth service providers in the private sector.

The study also revealed other emerging issues in the sector, including a fragmented and inadequate governance framework, unclear liability between involved parties, and uncertainty in insurance coverage.

In terms of trade practices, key issues included non-transparent and unclear information provision, a lack of consumer choices with limited practitioners and consultation timeslots, insufficient operational support, and privacy and security concerns over telehealth platforms or teleconferencing tools.