The University of Hong Kong has defended its policy of allowing doctors to pocket part of private patient billings as a means to retain talent against the global demand for medics.
In May this year the university's medical faculty began allowing doctors to pocket up to half the medical fees they earn for the university through their private services at its Queen Mary teaching hospital.
Under the arrangement, the university will maintain its 75 per cent cut of private service income, with the Hospital Authority taking 25 per cent. Doctors will get up to half the revenue that goes to the university, and the rest will go to their departments. The university doctors were not allowed to pocket any revenue from private cases in the past.
Jacobus Ng Kwok-fu, the faculty's assistant dean, said: 'If the university doctors go to the private market, they can earn several times their current salaries.
'We hope that allowing the doctors to earn some extra income to narrow the gap with private doctors will help retain talent. We have a time limit on their private clinical sessions of eight hours a week.
'This can give patients more choice and maintain the stability of manpower in the university. We regard it as a win-win proposal.'
