Modern Healthcare in Hong Kong
Day Procedure Centres (DPCs or Day Surgery Centres) 日間醫療中心 are revolutionizing the approach to healthcare in Hong Kong. Here is everything you need to know about them, including what to look for in a DPC and the procedures performed in them.
What is a Day Procedure Centre?
Licensed by the Hong Kong Department of Health, Day Procedure Centres carry out various surgical procedures, and patients typically don’t stay in the DPC for longer than 12 hours. Staffed by medical doctors of various specialties, Day Procedure Centres have become popular in Hong Kong due to the cost benefits for procedures which don’t require an overnight stay.
Day Procedure Centres close the gap between hospitals and clinics and between the private and public medical sectors in Hong Kong, providing high quality and cost-effective alternatives for certain surgeries without a long wait, but with the premium service quality of private hospitals. Additionally, the Department of Health regulates these centres to assure their safety.
A Day Procedure Centre can run one or multiple types of procedures including:
- surgical
- endoscopic
- anaesthetic
- dental
- chemotherapy
- haemodialysis
A licensed Day Procedure Centre provides a number of services; all its endoscopy and surgical procedures in various specialties including Plastic Surgery, General Surgery, Gynaecology, Urology, Orthopaedics and Ear, Nose and Throat are performed by qualified/licensed doctors who are empathetic to their patients’ needs. DPC are fit for surgeries that require general anaesthesia, monitored anaesthetic care and local anesthesia.
How Many Day Procedure Centres Are There in Hong Kong?
As of July 2022, there are 248 licensed Day Procedure Centres in Hong Kong. Only a few of these have operating theatres (like hospitals) and procedure rooms that can offer day surgeries.
What Should Patients Look For in a Day Procedure Centre?
Patients should be aware that many surgical/medical procedures should be conducted in licensed healthcare facilities for the sake of patient safety. Some who call themselves “Aesthetic Medical Centres” may not be licensed as DPCs. Some of their procedures or services may not be performed by medical doctors or appropriate specialists, and in fact, many of their staff may not be registered or enrolled nurses.
Modern trend of the Healthcare Industry in Hong Kong
Hong Kong is witnessing a shift in health insurance coverage towards favouring day surgery. Nowadays, some people are looking for alternatives to hospitals for day surgeries and will opt for a DPC instead, due to a number of reasons:
- lower costs
- convenient locations
- Patients also do not have to worry about securing a hospital bed, alleviating the existing pressures on hospitals
In fact, most surgeries for otherwise fit and healthy patients can be done as a day-only case, meaning that the entire process from check-in to discharge occurs within the same calendar day.
Anything that can save patients money amid notoriously high medical costs and get them back to their normal day-to-day lives quicker, and ease the burden on hospitals should be celebrated. Day Procedure Centres provides a new frontier in healthcare in Hong Kong, as people look for quicker, more convenient and affordable medical services.
source: https://www.playtimes.com.hk/day-procedure-centres-in-hong-kong/
The information on this website is for general educational purpose only. Readers should consult their physician before considering treatment, and should not interpret their condition solely based on the information above. 以上資訊僅提供教育用途。你應該諮詢醫生有關的治療方法，而不應完全依賴網站上的資訊。
