The first clinic to be run by a Hong Kong doctor in Shenzhen opened in Luohu District on Thursday.
The clinic on Renmin Road South has 15 doctors and 15 nurses. Three were Hong Kong doctors, the owner, Ng Wai said.
The number of Hong Kong doctors was expected to increase to eight next year.
The clinic was qualified for treatment ranging from traditional Chinese medicine to cosmetic surgery, dentistry to gynecology and medical and surgical procedures.
The service will be the same as at a Hong Kong private clinic, Ng said.
Cost of treatment would be about one-third of the cost in Hong Kong. For example, it costs about 250 yuan (US$37) to 300 yuan for acupuncture in Hong Kong, but the price here is only about 80 to 100 yuan, he said.
The clinic started trial operations one month ago, treating more than 50 Hong Kong residents. I think the clinic is quite accessible for Hong Kong residents. For residents living in the New Territories, it is even closer than clinics in Causeway Bay, Ng said.
Ng, who practices traditional Chinese medicine, was the first Hong Kong doctor to obtain a license to open a clinic in Guangdong Province. (Continued on Page 3)
A supplementary provision for Guangdong-Hong Kong cooperation under the Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arragement (CEPA) was signed earlier this year.
According to the provision, Hong Kong and Macao medical institutions can open medical institutions, including hospitals and sanitariums, in Guangdong Province.
Hong Kong-registered medical professionals, including doctors, traditional Chinese medicine practitioners, dentists, pharmacists and nurses, are now allowed to work in Shenzhen. Prominent Hong Kong hospitals and medical groups will also be granted preferential policies to open in Shenzhen under the CEPA provision.
According to provisions signed under CEPA last year, Guangdong Province will allow 54 clinics including 10 in Shenzhen to be run by Hong Kong and Macao professionals.
The city health department said Friday there were 10 Hong Kong doctors in Shenzhen approved to open a clinic and practise medicine in Shenzhen.
At the moment, 10 hospitals, including Beijing University Shenzhen Hospital and Nanshan District People s Hospital, are authorized to treat Hong Kong residents with medical expenses being paid through their Hong Kong medical insurance. The hospitals will soon be able to transfer Hong Kong patients to Hong Kong hospitals.
(By Wang Yuanyuan)
