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4.1.  THE VOICES OF LOCAL HEALTHCARE

                                     EXPERTS


                             The unique perspectives of key stakeholders in Hong Kong’s health system are important in
                             identifying the key challenges and feasible ways forward for a health system transformation.
                             In view of this, OHKF and the Centre for Health Systems and Policy Research of The Jockey
                             Club School of Public Health and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine, the Chinese University
                             of Hong Kong (CUHK-JCSPHPC) conducted a series of in-person interviews with key
                             stakeholders in the local health system to better grasp the most urgent and pertinent issues
                             in Hong Kong’s health system, and in particular, their views on our strategic purchasing
                             proposal, including their attitude and perception towards the proposal, the availability of
                             resources, considerations for successful implementation, and the potential impact of the
                             proposal. The interviewees came from an expansive range of decision-making roles and
                             positions, including policymakers, government officials, front-line service providers from both
                             public and private sectors, leaders from non-governmental organisations (NGOs), corporate
                             players from the insurance sector, patient group representatives, and academics with
                             medical and social expertise (Table 4.1). Discussions mainly revolved around five critical
                             themes: health system fragmentation, health financing, PHC development, strategic
                             purchasing, and the proposed Scheme as a principal recommendation of this policy report
                             (Table 4.2).


                             4.1.1  THE INTERVIEWEES

                             A total of 27 key stakeholders took part in interviews that were jointly completed by OHKF
                             and CUHK-JCSPHPC between April and August 2020. The stakeholders consisted of 15 key
                             stakeholders from 13 institutions (Table 4.1) and 12 PHC service providers in solo or group
                             practices at NGOs, the District Health Centre (DHC), general out-patient clinics (GOPCs) of
                             the Hospital Authority (HA) and private medical institutions. All interviews were recorded and
                             transcribed verbatim in their conducted languages (and translated where necessary) by
                             independent contractors. Two primary researchers and two assistant researchers were
                             involved in coding and conducting a thematisation of the transcripts involving cross-checking
                             and discussion. The interviews strictly followed standards under the ethical approval of the
                             Survey and Behavioural Research Ethics Committee of the CUHK (Reference number:
                             SBRE-19-117), and verbal/written consent was sought from all interviewees.


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