The Chinese Medicine Hospital of Hong Kong will launch 24-hour inpatient services at its facility in Tseung Kwan O on December 11.

It will initially offer a mix of 60 government-subsidised beds, 33 beds priced according to market conditions, two high dependency beds and 20 beds for those undergoing clinical trials.

Using an integrated Chinese-Western approach, the hospital will focus on patients needing continuous monitoring, holistic care, and specialised support, with plans to expand to 400 beds by 2030.

Hospital chief executive Bian Zhaoxiang said four types of patients would benefit from the expansion of services.

“For the target patients we're including, the first one is [if] the patient's situation is serious, which needs continuous monitoring,” he said.

“The second one are those who need holistic treatment. The third one: the patient cannot safely take care of themselves, but needs more care from Chinese and Western medicine services.

“And fourth one: also the patient conditions could be treated by multiple teams, including Chinese medicine, Western medicine, nurses.”

​To qualify for inpatient care, patients must be referred either by the hospital’s own outpatient department or another medical institution.

​Government-subsidised inpatient care will cost HK$980 a day, covering doctor rounds, Chinese medicine treatments, basic lab and X-ray diagnostics, physical and occupational therapy, and prescribed medications.

Eligible patients receiving social welfare assistance may qualify for a full fee waiver.

​Cheung Wai-lun, project director of the Chinese Medicine Hospital Project Office, described the subsidised rate as attractive, saying he expects patients will find it reasonable.

​Meanwhile, daily rates for beds under the market-oriented pricing scheme will range from HK$810 to HK$3,100, with additional charges for doctor rounds, treatments, and medications.

While Chinese medicine practitioners will take the lead on overall treatment strategy, frontline medical staff from both disciplines will conduct joint consultations.

​Alongside round-the-clock care, day-patient capacity will gradually expand from 25 to 35 beds.

The hospital expects outpatient attendance to grow to 260,000 visits in its second year of operation, up from an estimated 140,000 in its first year.

The hospital also announced plans to roll out five specialised disease programmes next month, followed by another five in November, targeting conditions including eczema, facial paralysis, developmental delays in children and Parkinson’s disease.



Edited by Tony Sabine