Page 132 - 20211214_OHKF_Health_Finance_Research_Report_E (1)

Subtheme 4.2 – Planning, engagement and well-planned logistics are keys to
success. Despite the widely acknowledged necessity of strategic purchasing and PPPs,
our interviewees identified a low level of enthusiasm among doctors towards
existing PPPs, due to cumbersome computer systems, heavy logistic work, and
insufficient reimbursement rates. Since the cost of private services was perceived to be kept
at a minimum level under PPPs, providing more financial incentives for private practitioners
was mentioned as a lever to increase private sector participation given the profit-driven
nature of the private sector. Additionally, given that physicians typically join the General
Outpatient Clinic Public-Private Partnership Programme (GOPC-PPP) within their solo
practice, the Government should look to simplifying current administrative systems to
increase the number of doctors participating in the programme.

Stakeholders’ voices

The private sector now operates in a “fee for services” model,
so financial incentives are very important.
Academic

The consultation fees are exempted now–we (private service
providers) just charge the patients with the drug costs, and
use generic drugs as much as possible to minimise costs for
patients.
Private service provider

Doctors now can only log in with sets of passwords, their log-in ID, by
plugging in their own ID cards, or using access codes. It gets
inconvenient when they have to do it several times…The small
[reimbursement] sum of HKD 200–including medications–is
unattractive to some doctors… If the patients present with other
complaints like a common cold or a cough aside from hypertension, the
doctors will need to manage it and give medications without any extra
consultation charges…
Private service provider

The Government needs to think about the mindset that how
the private sector is running. For the majority of the privately
practicing doctors, they don’t want complicated cases... they
want simple transactions. If you are a GP, you want patients
to come and go. It is fast, straightforward and easy to build
relations. For a complicated case, you need more time, you
need more resources, the patient may eventually go back to
public sector, too. [Therefore, incentives should be provided
to the doctors to increase their uptake.]

NGO representative

130