Hospital Authority


The Hospital Authority is a statutory body managing all the government hospitals and institutes in Hong Kong. It is under the governance of its [|board] and is under the monitor of the Secretary for Food and Health of the Hong Kong Government. Its chairman is Henry Fan.

History

Before the establishment of the authority, all health and medical issues were under the management of the Medical and Health Department. In 1990, a new health administration system was introduced as part of the 1989 reforms. The establishment of the Authority served to rebuild state capacity amid the emergence of party politics in Hong Kong. The department became the Department of Health and in 1991, the management of all the public hospitals was passed to a new statutory body, the Hospital Authority, which was established in 1990 under the Hospital Authority Ordinance. In 2003, the General Outpatient Clinics of Department of Health were transferred to the authority.

Hospital clusters

Hospital Authority has been providing services to the public under a cluster-based structure since 1993. It currently manages 42 public hospitals and institutions, 48 specialist outpatient clinics and 73 general outpatient clinics. These facilities are organised into seven hospital clusters according to their geographical locations, as shown in the table below. Each hospital cluster comprises a mix of acute and convalescent or rehabilitation hospitals to provide a full range of healthcare services.
Hospital clusterService areaPopulation of the area in mid-2012
Hong Kong East ClusterEastern, Wanchai and Islands areas825,400
Hong Kong West ClusterCentral and Western, and Southern districts of the Hong Kong Island544,100
Kowloon Central ClusterMong Kok, Yau Ma Tei, Tsim Sha Tsui and Kowloon City, Wong Tai Sin districts1,103,200
Kowloon East ClusterKwun Tung, Tseung Kwan O and part of the Sai Kung districts1,012,000
Kowloon West ClusterDistricts of Sham Shui Po, Kwai Tsing, Tsuen Wan and North Lantau787,600
New Territories East ClusterSha Tin, Tai Po, North and part of the Sai Kung districts1,321,300
New Territories West ClusterTuen Mun and Yuen Long districts1,085,300

Corporate governance

Hospital Authority Board

According to the Hospital Authority Ordinance, the Chief Executive of Hong Kong appoints members of the Hospital Authority Board governing the authority. The present board consists of 27 members, including the chairman. Membership of the authority comprises 23 non-public officers, three public officers and the chief executive of the authority. Apart from the chief executive of the authority, other members are not remunerated in their capacity as board members.

Current and former chairmen

To perform its roles and exercise its powers, the board has established 11 functional committees:
To enhance community participation and governance of public hospitals, the authority has established 31 Hospital Governing Committees in 38 hospitals and institutions. These committees received regular management reports from the hospital chief executives, monitored operational and financial performance of the hospitals, participated in human resources and procurement functions, as well as hospital and community partnership activities.

Regional Advisory Committees

To provide the authority with advice on the healthcare needs for specific regions of Hong Kong, the authority has established three Regional Advisory Committees. Each of the committees meets four times a year.

Funding

The authority is funded primarily by Hong Kong Government subvention, which amounted to HK$42.5 billion for 2012–2013, equating to over 90% of the authority's total income. Its other incomes include hospital and clinic fees and charges, donations, and investment.
The authority's total expenditure was HK$46.1 billion for 2012–2013, with 70% used to pay staff, and 14% to pay for drugs and other supplies.

Controversies

2003 SARS outbreak

In 2003, Hong Kong suffered from the outbreak of SARS and recorded considerable number of patients and casualties. The slow and delayed response of Hospital Authority was criticized. Believing that Hong Kong was safe from infectious diseases, the HA had inadequate preparation for facilities like isolated wards and single rooms that are important for the treatment of highly contagious diseases. In the early phase of the outbreak, public hospitals placed SARS patients in non-quarantined rooms that severely increased the chance of infection.

2008 milk contamination

On the day when a Hong Kong girl was diagnosed as the territory's first victim of the 2008 Chinese milk scandal, anxious parents were frustrated to discover that doctors at the special unit set up at the Princess Margaret Hospital were taking the day off. Deputy Director of Health Gloria Tam said that it was "not something so urgent that it needs to be dealt with in 24 hours... They can go during office hours tomorrow". Medical sector legislator Leung Ka-lau said the lack of daily cover during the crisis was "insensitive". While the first victim left hospital after successful treatment one day later, two more children were admitted to hospital on 22 September; the Hospital Authority was reportedly overwhelmed when over 100 parents demanding check-ups for their children at Princess Margaret amids confusion about referrals and registration procedures, causing Secretary for Food and Health, York Chow to grovel for having underestimated the problem. Chow pledged 18 additional facilities around Hong Kong would be operational the next day.

Waiting times

Waiting time for elective treatment is quite high. The average waiting time for cataract surgery in 2014 was 22 months.