Dear Editor,

A matter of nomenclature

Greetings colleague ! May your work be prosperous and fruitful!!

Hong Kong faces a more promising new year. The COVID epidemic seems to be largely behind us. We can now focus on recovery and deal with issues that had been set aside whilst fighting the COVID 19. Late last year, our Chief Executive unfolded plans for creating a body that would hope to improve our battered health care system, including the establishment of the Primary Health Care Authority by 2024.

This is indeed good news. From our experience from the pandemic, we can clearly see that the public hospital system has disabling problems. Alternatives need to be developed so our worthy citizens can enjoy secured health care services. This is fundamental to sustainable urban development.

As the new Authority is being planned, a blueprint has been drafted for public consultation. Please allow me to take the opportunity to suggest some new terms for general discussion. This relates to the nomenclature of the health care system. It may well be part of the reason why the authorities, the users and the service providers have for decades, avoided to do anything about this sector in the local health system.

Non-hospital health care can also be referred to as the Neighbourhood Health Network. 街坊健康綱絡. Like the education system, primary can imply elementary, basic and simple. Why accept something inferior if one can have a choice of a more superior, specialized and upmarket version of services? Especially when the users pay such a comparatively low cost?

Service providers in this setting can be called Neighbourhood health care providers 街坊康健服務提供者. The overarching approach is to organise and develop existing and new service providers. This has to be inclusive and quality assured. Non-hospital public clinics could be called Neighbourhood clinics 公立街坊診所. Not outpatients! Patient's are in, not out. The good old District health centres (first quoted in Hong Kong official documents in 1990) can be called Neighbourhood health service referral / triage centres 街坊康健統籌中心.

To my knowledge, this perhaps is the first time neighbourhood health care is floated in Hong Kong to replace the degrading terminology that this important sector has been subject to.

I would like to share my humble opinions above so as to spark off discussion by the higher level.

Yours sincerely, with best wishes and regards.

Dr. Luke CY Tsang, MBBS, FRACGP, MPH
Family Physician 街坊醫生

E-mail: gomluket2019@gmail.com