Costly Hong Kong dental care pushes more patients to visit neighbouring Shenzhen to fill service gaps
- Growing trend sees Hongkongers heading to mainland China for cheaper, more timely services
- Some mainland service providers advertising clinics and hospitals at border and on MTR trains, with plans to expand and tap into growing demand
Retired Hong Kong minibus driver Cheng Yee-man, 66, crossed the border and headed to a hospital in neighbouring Shenzhen to get a dental check-up in March.
The journey by train and bus from her home in Ho Man Tin to Shenzhen Hengsheng Hospital took about two hours. It was the second time she had made the trip there after receiving good service when she went to have a rotten wisdom tooth pulled last year.
Cheng said she needed to get the work done before urgent knee surgery, but private clinics in Hong Kong could only offer appointments two to three weeks later with treatment costing between HK$8,000 (US$1,022) and HK$10,000.
The retiree was disheartened by the long waiting time, before a friend recommended she visit the hospital across the border.
Cheng arrived at the hospital at about 10am without needing a reservation, had the tooth extracted and left at around noon. The procedure, along with a check-up, X-ray scan and anti-inflammatory drugs, cost about 1,000 yuan (US$138).
Cheng, a widowed mother of two who lives alone, said she was satisfied with the hospital’s efficient and quality service.
“I will continue to seek dental care across the border despite the long trips,” she added.