Press Releases
SHWF meets Australian Minister for Health and Ageing
The Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food, Dr York Chow, today (September 14)
met his Australian counterparts in Canberra, Australia, to learn more about
Australia's health care financing arrangements.
At a meeting with Australia's Minister for Health and Ageing, the Hon Tony
Abbot, MP, Dr Chow was given a detailed briefing on the work of the Department
of Health and Ageing.
Dr Chow learned that Australia has a predominantly, publicly funded health care
system financed through general taxation, plus a levy on personal income tax
earmarked for health services.
Australian citizens enjoy free basic public hospital services but there is an
element of co-payment in the system whereby patients who patronise private
services have to shoulder part of the fee. Patients are also required to co-pay
with the Government for drugs and out-of-hospital services.
Australia's highest rate of personal income tax is 48.5%, and the country also
levies a 10% goods and services tax. At the same time, the levy earmarked for
health services is equivalent to 1.5% of taxable income above certain income
thresholds. The public health care services, however, only cover general medical
consultations and surgical and therapeutic procedures by general practitioners
and specialists. Other services such as dental treatment, ambulance services,
home nursing, allied health care including physiotherapy and occupational
therapy, are not covered.
The Australian visit is one of the overseas fact-finding trips arranged by the
Health, Welfare and Food Bureau to examine the health care financing
arrangements of other developed economies to come up with proposals that would
best suit Hong Kong.
"We are beginning our work in exploring the health care financing arrangement
for Hong Kong. We have not come to any conclusion yet, but it is useful to gain
a deeper understanding of the advantages as well as disadvantages of different
approaches adopted by other economies," Dr Chow said at the end of his visit to
the Australian Department of Health and Ageing.
Ends/Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Issued at HKT 18:22
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