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4.2.5 DISCUSSION ON IMPLICATIONS OF STUDY
FINDINGS ON THE SCHEME

Among the survey participants, individuals below the age of 45 years had the lowest regular
screening percentages across all HDH factors despite hypertension screening being
recommended for this age group. Participants within the age group of 45–54 years also had
lower screening percentages relative to their older counterparts within the age groups of
55–64 and ≥ 65 years. Notably, individuals between the ages of 45–54 were less likely to
screen for one or more HDH factors, indicating possible unmet health needs and barriers
that they face in relation to screening access. As such, focusing efforts on increasing access
to preventive health services is of crucial importance for improving the health and well-being
of this age group.

A majority of respondents without a prior diagnosis for HDH indicated willingness to
participate in the Scheme. From the survey, we learned that while respondents use more
public sector services over the private sector at the time of the study, there is no strong
majority preference for care in either public or private sector upon future participation in the
Scheme. This suggests that the sector in which prospective voucher users will access
screening and management of diseases will be unlikely to impact uptake of the Scheme.

We found that the top reasons for not engaging in regular screening are non-urgency and
busyness. Therefore, the Scheme should take into consideration the need to
remove barriers to accessibility of screening services (for example, ensuring
geographical convenience and accessible price point) so that individuals, particularly those
already knowledgeable in the benefits associated with screening but are unable to prioritise
preventive health behaviours, can more easily act upon their beliefs to engage in early
prevention.

Upon examining the three dimensions of universal access with respect to the Scheme, the
study also revealed that:

1. Physical Accessibility–Locality of services is critical to participation in screening and
management of chronic conditions
Locality and physical convenience of service provision has been identified as key
considerations for chronic disease screening and management. As shown by a survey
conducted by the DH, as of 2016, the private sector hosts approximately 500 private day
procedure centres and roughly 5,000 clinics (Legislative Council, 2017; HA, 2020). This
multitude far outweighs the 73 GOPCs in the public sector, suggesting that there is
potential for establishing an expansive network of service providers in the
private sector that improves physical accessibility to patients seeking chronic disease
screening and management services. Given that the private sector has an expansive
distribution of service outlets in primary care, respondents’ slight preference towards
private sector service provision or no general preference suggests the potential of
the Scheme to further leverage on the private sector’s capacity.

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