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Author: Li Enci
2020-04-07 15:56
Date of last update: 2020-04-07 15:57Last year, the Food and Health Bureau reviewed the elderly medical coupon plan and pointed out that the number and amount of optometrist applications were disproportionately high. Since June last year, the authorities have required the elderly to only use HK $ 2,000 for optometric services every two years.
According to a document submitted to the Finance Committee of the Legislative Council by the Food and Health Bureau, the number of optometrist medical voucher transactions dropped significantly last year, a decrease of 32.6% from the previous year; and the transaction amount decreased by 43.4% from the previous year. Due to the cap on the amount of claims, the optometrist ’s application transactions last year averaged 1,781 yuan per item, down 15.8% from the previous year.
In the past five years, the Department of Health has received 338 complaints against medical voucher service providers. (Profile picture)
The average payment for each optical service is $ 1,781
According to a document submitted by the Food and Health Bureau to the Finance Committee of the Legislative Council, the number of optometrist medical voucher applications has dropped significantly, from 359,000 in the previous year to 242,000 last year, a decrease of 32.6%. In terms of transaction value, it decreased from 760 million yuan in the previous year to 430 million yuan in the previous year, a decrease of 43.4%. Since the amount of claim is capped at 2,000 yuan every two years, the optometrist ’s application transaction last year averaged 1,781 yuan per item, down 15.8% from 2,114 yuan in the previous year.
Last year, 98% of the eligible elders, that is, 1.294 million people had used medical vouchers, and the total amount claimed was 2.6 billion yuan. The number of medical voucher application transactions was led by Western medicine, with 2.952 million cases; followed by Chinese medicine with 1.633 million cases; followed by dentists with 310,000 cases; optometrists ranked fourth. Regarding the amount of application, the top Western medicine accounted for 1.24 billion yuan; the Chinese medicine accounted for 600 million yuan; and the optometrist ranked third.
Since June last year, the authorities have stipulated that elders can only use HK $ 2,000 for optometric services every two years. (Photo by Huang Baoying)
16 complaint cases referred to police
In the past five years, the Department of Health has received a total of 338 complaints against medical voucher service providers, involving operational procedures, suspected fraud, improper declaration of medical vouchers, and service charges. The main complaints were Western medicine, Chinese medicine, optometrists and dentists. Among them, 173 investigations have been completed and 55 investigations have been confirmed to be true or partially true. From 2017 to 2019, 16 cases were referred to the police for follow-up. So far, no cases have been prosecuted. Over the past 10 years, the Department of Health has checked 430,000 medical voucher declaration transactions, of which 4,320 are inappropriate medical voucher declarations.
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