ABSTRACT
As a former British colony, Hong Kong has much in common with other countries in Asia formerly under colonial rule, both benefi ting from, and disadvantaged by, their colonial legacy. Whilst many structures are robust, the process of colonial handover back to China has also created inertia in the healthcare system as new forces come into play. For example, whilst primary care services in the UK have continued to develop and have taken up a greater role in public health service delivery within an integrated model, primary care in Hong Kong remains fragmented, mainly out of pocket and the population is prone to doctor shopping rather than being steered into secondary services through the gatekeeping role of the General Practitioner (GP). The majority of public health services continue to be provided by the Department of Health through the model of maternal and child health, school health and other clinic-based services, and population-based data necessary for assessing health outcomes are not routinely collected. As such, Hong Kong is similar to many other Asian countries in that its healthcare development has been infl uenced by history and its development closely tied to political and socio-economic changes. As a region, Asia has the highest number of countries that rely on out-of-pocket payment for health services and as such getting sick can be a catastrophic event not only for individuals but their families.
