Gov’t assures reliability of future Cotai hospital

Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng indicated his reliance on the future Islands Hospital Complex to solve most – if not all – existing difficulties facing Macau in the medical field.

Ho’s reply was given in response to lawmaker Wong Kit Cheng’s questions related to healthcare services in the territory.

Wong asked the head of the government how the new hospital would be able to help local medical practitioners progress in their career. Ho expressed his hopes that the future hospital would help lower the need for external medical services.

Currently, patients whose diseases are incurable in Macau or that local hospitals do not have the expertise to handle, will be referred to nearby cities with more advanced medical techniques for treatment. Before the advent of quarantine-upon-arrival, patients would be transferred to Hong Kong. Currently, they are usually moved to mainland China. The costs are borne by the government.

Elaborating on his response, Ho said the new hospital will be opened in phases from the fourth quarter of next year. With the Peking Union Medical College Hospital as the operational partner, specialist medicine in the city will see progress, he said. He added that the Peking Hospital is the National Guidance Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Difficult and Severe Diseases appointed by the National Health Commission.

The new hospital will be developed and operated without overlapping existing services offered by the public hospital and the private Kiang Wu Hospital, Ho said, adding that the future hospital will be a main base for the city to develop Big Health.

He stated that it would blend the “super hospital” concept with rehabilitation facilities. For example, he said, patients who have undergone a cosmetic surgery can be relocated to the hotel for recovery. He even disclosed that the government is in negotiations with the insurance trade to attract high-end insured mainland residents to enjoy services at the future hospital.

The future hospital will have a wide range of area-specific centers, such as oncology, cardiology, organ transplant, neurology and reproductive medicine.