No plans to ban overseas Hongkongers returning for treatment, says health chief

Hong Kong’s health chief Lo Chung-mau said on Wednesday that there are no plans for the SAR government to ban Hongkongers who have emigrated from using local public medical services.

His comments came as lawmaker Edward Leung Hei raised concerns that Hongkongers based overseas were returning to the city for medical treatment, piling pressure on the city’s healthcare system and costing more taxpayer money. He also slammed authorities for not keeping track of the number of overseas Hongkongers who visit public hospitals.

Speaking at LegCo today, Lo said all Hongkongers holding identity cards or aged under 11 are eligible to use the city’s public hospitals.

He said there are difficulties in implementing screenings for the city’s healthcare system due to the urgent nature of medical services.

He also believes that the screening "will be a heavy burden for healthcare workers, and even for all 7.5 million Hong Kong residents," indicating that the authorities have no intention to conduct such screenings.

Leung, meanwhile, said authorities were being harsh on local residents by mulling changes to the HK$2 fare in the transport subsidy scheme, while keeping the money taps open to “outsiders.”

In response, the health chief refuted Leung’s “outsider” claim, saying that Hongkongers based overseas are still HKID holders. He also questioned whether the situation of “overseas Hongkongers returning for treatment” was as severe as what the lawmaker described.

Separately, lawmakers Gary Chan Hak Kan and Rebecca Chan Hoi-yan both suggested authorities impose restrictions on people who have been absent from Hong Kong for a continuous period of no less than 36 months from access to public healthcare services.

People who applied for early withdrawal of their MPF citing permanent departure from Hong Kong should also be banned from using public healthcare, they said.