HONG KONG — Hong Kong’s inaugural Chinese Medicine Hospital (CMH) launched phased operations today in Tseung Kwan O, marking a pivotal moment for traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) development, research, and integration into the city’s complex healthcare system.
The new government-backed facility, overseen by the Hospital Authority’s Chinese Medicine Hospital Development Project Office and operated by Hong Kong Baptist University under a public-private partnership, aims to elevate TCM from a primary care option to a specialized, hospital-level service. It began accepting initial appointments via telephone and online registration last month, positioning itself as a central hub for clinical service, professional training, and groundbreaking research into combined Eastern and Western medical treatments.
A New Model for Integrated Care
Unlike existing district TCM clinics, the CMH is designed to function as a secondary and tertiary care institution, tackling complex or chronic conditions that require intensive, specialized treatment and multi-disciplinary coordination.
“The Chinese Medicine Hospital is envisioned as the flagship project for our TCM policy,” said Dr. Bian Zhaoxiang, the hospital’s administrative director. “Beyond offering clinical services, it is tasked with promoting research, training a new generation of practitioners, and driving the collaboration between Chinese and Western medicine.”
The hospital will deploy three distinct service models: purely TCM care, TCM-dominant treatments, and true integrated Chinese-Western medical collaboration. For cases where the attending TCM practitioner determines combined care is necessary, Western medical teams will be brought in to devise the most effective joint treatment plan.
The ultimate goal, Dr. Bian explained, is to systematically accumulate clinical data from these co-treatment cases to establish standardized, evidence-based protocols that can be adopted across the healthcare spectrum.
Specialized Services and Access
Located in Pak Shing Kok, the CMH will initially focus on six core specialized disciplines: Internal Medicine, Surgery, Gynecology, Pediatrics, Traumatology and Orthopaedics, and Acupuncture. Within these branches, the hospital will offer specialized treatment programs for 23 specific “special diseases,” including pain management, macular degeneration, dermatological conditions, and male and female infertility.
A unique feature of the new facility is the introduction of day inpatient services, structured into four-hour morning and afternoon sessions. This model, priced at HK$450 per session, is designed for patients with complex conditions, such as severe widespread eczema, requiring intensive, multi-modal treatments like acupuncture, fumigation, and physiotherapy. The package includes consultation, diagnostics, and medication, and supports ancillary Western procedures such as X-rays and blood tests.
Full 24-hour inpatient services are slated to commence in the second year of operation, serving patients with acute severity, low self-care capability, or those needing constant monitoring, such as stroke recovery patients needing high-level rehabilitation.
Cost and Eligibility
The hospital aims to provide accessible care, with general outpatient consultations starting at HK$180, including consultation and basic Chinese treatments. Specialized clinic visits begin at an introductory fee of HK$250.
Despite its public mandate, the CMH is a standalone entity operated outside of the Hospital Authority, which has implications for public benefits. Officials confirmed that while the hospital serves the entire community, Senior Citizen Healthcare Vouchers are currently not applicable for payment, as the vouchers are tied to existing primary care services. This may be reviewed as part of long-term community health policy development.
Regarding global knowledge exchange, the $\text{CMH}$ has already established partnership agreements with 10 provincial-level TCM hospitals in mainland China, facilitating short-term exchanges for national-level experts to boost Hong Kong’s clinical and research prowess.
The opening of the Chinese Medicine Hospital represents a significant investment by the Hong Kong government to modernize and mainstream TCM, positioning the city as a regional leader in integrated medical practice and research.
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