The Health Bureau and the Hospital Authority announced a plan to reform public healthcare fees at the end of March. (please click) The Hong Kong College of Family Physicians (HKCFP) supports the direction of the plan and believes that the measures proposed in the plan can guide patients to appropriate healthcare services, rationalise the current imbalance in public healthcare services, enable different healthcare service providers to care for patients in their respective positions, promote the development and improve the quality of Hong Kong's healthcare services in the long run, and enable Hong Kong to continue to maintain its leading position in the international medical community.

This public healthcare fees reform targets the above-mentioned service mismatch issues and effectively directs patients to appropriate healthcare services for the appropriate treatment. The reform is in line with the "Primary Healthcare Blueprint" and "Chronic Disease Co-Care Pilot Scheme" formulated by the Health Bureau to meet the challenges of population aging and rising rates of chronic diseases, comprehensively improve the health of citizens, and strengthen protection for patients.

Through this reform, it is anticipated to change the misconception among patients that the emergency room or specialist outpatient clinics is the gateway to healthcare services. In fact, family doctors are the first point of contact for patients to receive healthcare services. In recent years, we have been actively promoting the concept of " family doctor for all" in the hope that patients can first be screened by their family doctors before considering the needs for receiving specialist or other further medical services. Family doctors are familiar with and have a clear understanding of the patient's condition. They can provide patients with appropriate medical assessment and advice first. Appropriate health issues can be handled directly by the family doctor, and the patient will be referred to relevant specialists for follow-up when indicated. This division of labour, collaboration and stratified medical model not only ensures that patients receive appropriate treatment directly, but also improves the treatment outcome. 

One of the important directions of this public healthcare fees reform is to guide non-emergency patients from the emergency room back to primary healthcare services, so that family doctors can take care of these patients. The Hong Kong College of Family Physicians believes that this reform direction would help to reverse the undesirable phenomenon in the past where patients went directly to the emergency room for treatment without effective triage based on the severity of their condition, and can also promote the development of primary healthcare services.

The HKCFP supports the direction of reform and hopes that these reform measures can be implemented as soon as possible to further promote the sustainable development of Hong Kong's healthcare services. As family doctors, we will continue to educate patients through different platforms and work with the government to promote the development of family medicine and “family doctor for all”. The HKCFP will also continue to support family doctors’ training and continuing professional development so that family doctors can continue to provide quality services to the public.

World Family Doctor Day (WFDD) falls on the 19th May each year. This year's theme, "Building Mental Resilience in a Changing World", draws attention to the vital contributions made by family doctors in nurturing mental health and fostering resilience during these rapidly changing and challenging times. In recognition of the pivotal role family doctors play within our communities, the Hong Kong College of Family Physicians, in collaboration with the Primary Healthcare Commission of the Health Bureau, is hosting a WFDD 2025 Symposium on 17th May at the HKAM Jockey Club Building. Please come and join us to celebrate this very important day of the year. Details are as listed in this issue of the FP Links. See you soon!