The Hospital Authority (HA) of the Hong Kong Special
Administrative Region is preparing to get tough with non-residents
who fail to pay their medical bills, with government figures
showing that unpaid fees had climbed to HK$322 million
(US$40.75million) in the last five years.
Non-residents, mainly new mothers from the mainland, are
responsible for 70 percent of that amount.
Withholding elective surgery and specialist and outpatient
services for non-residents; deferring registration of babies in
Hong Kong pending the settlement of bills; and improving
fee-collection are among the proposals HA is considering to cut
down on the number of delinquent non-residents.
HA is also considering contracting a debt-collection agency to
pursue unpaid bills, especially from mothers who have already
returned to the mainland, according to officials.
The proposals come in response to concerns that the growing
number of mainland women who come to the special administrative
region to give birth had strained Hong Kong's medical services.
Government officials announced last week that more and more
mainland women are traveling to Hong Kong to give birth. The
announcement sparked a public outcry and intense media
coverage.
Figures released last Wednesday indicated that more than 10,000
mainland women have had babies in the city so far this year. The
number has almost doubled every year since 2001, according to the
Security Bureau.
The trend has negatively affected health services in Hong Kong
since many mainland mothers do not pay the fees for prenatal
services, delivery and hospital stay.
"To use hospital services, they have to pay HK$20,000 (US$2,531)
for a three-day, two-night stay, which includes all the services
they require," said an HA spokesperson.
"Normally we expect the mother to come in person to register
before the birth, but sometimes they will come right when they are
just about to deliver. We have to attend to them immediately
because of the emergency, and then they leave without paying," the
spokesperson said.
Beyond the question of finances, staff and resources at public
hospitals have been stretched, which has affected both services and
the quality of care available to local mothers.
Last month a group of pregnant women staged a rally to protest
against the deteriorating conditions.
The influx of emergency births has also put a strain on
frontline hospital staff and midwives and represents a danger to
patients, said Danny Leung Tse-nong, senior obstetrician at the
Prince of Wales Hospital. The hospital handles a large number of
mainland mothers.
"Most of these women do not have full medical records, and this
can cause problems, especially in prenatal care when diagnosing
congenital defects or possible obstetric complications. The
additional workload also affects others who may have to wait longer
for services, for example, a lack of space after delivery because
all the postnatal beds are full. More obstetric services are
required or else all users will have less to share, and the overall
service will deteriorate," Leung said.
Some mainland mothers seem to hope that by giving birth in the
city, they will achieve quick residency for their new-borns under
the Basic Law.
The immigration department said it is adhering to
non-discriminatory policies regarding pregnant mainland women
entering the territory, and no policy change is planned.
(China Daily December 12, 2006)