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2.3 CONCLUSION

Strategic purchasing in healthcare, when designed and implemented with specific goals for
targeted populations and health issues, is shown to be an effective method to improve
quality, access, and equity of care. In so doing, the entire health system performance can be
improved and enable progress towards achieving UHC and promoting PHC.

Chapter 2 has uncovered examples of how strategic purchasing in healthcare is essential for
improving the efficiency of healthcare services, effectiveness of timely and targeted quality of
care, and equity of healthcare access. Certain jurisdictions, such as the United Kingdom,
Thailand, and Singapore, have been actively practicing strategic purchasing specifically for
PHC in the pursuit of reducing the national chronic disease burden. Lessons from the United
Kingdom’s well-established CCG network and Singapore’s PCNs show that high-level policy
must be instated at the national level to create a population wide foundation for strategic
purchasing of PHC. Within those established networks, nuanced initiatives that serve local
community chronic disease health needs, like the SingHealth DOT Programme, are the
boots-on-the-ground changemakers in utilising strategically purchased healthcare services
for the good of the larger community. Given the global trend from the past 30 years of PPP in
healthcare financing for PHC, Hong Kong can benefit from optimising our own purchasing
practices to become more strategic given the help of examples from other jurisdictions.

While others have many years’ experience under their belt with strategic purchasing for
chronic disease management, countries like Malaysia are in more recent times also noticing
the systematic benefits. The PeKa B40 Scheme, while still in its infancy, has been shown to
be an optimistic example for population wide screening and management of chronic
diseases with active support from the private healthcare sector. With continuous monitoring
and evaluation of the programme and possible adjustments to budgeting, PeKa B40 may be
lined up to be an example for Hong Kong and other jurisdictions seeking to attain UHC.

Moving forward, Chapter 3 analyses the latest demand and supply situations in Hong Kong’s
healthcare system, identifies major stressors in the field, and explores its unique health
financing transition in recent years. It also studies the development of strategic purchasing in
Hong Kong’s healthcare system and highlights gaps to tackle in devising respective schemes
in Hong Kong.

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