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Looking to visit a public hospital in Kowloon? Here is your in-depth guide to Caritas Medical Centre 明愛醫院 in Sham Shui Po.
Public hospital doctors are required to assess inpatients regularly according to their symptoms, clinical conditions and order tests as appropriate to produce the best treatment.
Due to the activation of the Emergency Response Level, the Hospital Authority has announced a special visiting arrangement. Please note that some new measures have been taken for special outpatient clinic appointments in light of the pandemic. Important notes for visitors going to General outpatient clinics can be found here, as for specialist outpatient clinics, information can be found here.
Dating back to 1964, Caritas Medical Centre in Sham Shui Po serves as an acute general hospital with a full range of acute, rehabilitation, ambulatory and community medical services for both inpatients and outpatients. It is also known for its one-stop care that benefits ageing, low-income groups and recently arrived immigrants.
Since the 2015 redevelopment project, the newly opened Wai Ming Block exceeds 54,000 square meters with a total of 100 consultations of different specialties, while rehabilitation and nursing facilities have been optimized to include more modern training facilities and spas in modern physical therapy and occupational therapy.
The public hospital’s scope of service extends beyond 24-hour accident and emergency Service, family medicine clinic, allied health, specialist outpatient services, including:
Costs at Caritas Medical Centre are determined by the Hospital Authority, and categorized into 3 groups: eligible persons, non-eligible persons and private charges.
As a reference, below are the costs for eligible persons*:
Service | Fee / HK Dollar |
Accident & Emergency | $180 per attendance |
Inpatient (acute general beds) | $75 admission fee, $120 per day |
Inpatient (convalescent / rehabilitation, infirmary & psychiatric beds) | $100 per day |
Specialist outpatient (including allied health clinic) | $135 for the 1st attendance, $80 per subsequent attendance, $15 per drug item |
General outpatient | $50 per attendance |
Dressing or injection | $19 per attendance |
Psychiatric day hospital | $60 per attendance |
Geriatric day hospital | $60 per attendance |
Rehabilitation day hospital | $55 per attendance |
Day procedure and treatment at Clinical Oncology Clinic or Renal Clinic | $96 per attendance |
Day procedure and treatment in ambulatory facility | $195 per attendance |
Community nursing service (general) | $80 per visit |
Community nursing service (psychiatric) | Free |
Community allied health service | $80 per visit |
* Eligible Persons refer to holders of Hong Kong identity cards, or Hong Kong residents under the age of 11, or those approved by Chief Executive of the Hospital Authority. As for non-eligible persons, private charges and full information can be accessed in our full cost guide here.
** All amounts are in HKD and were last updated in July 2021. No responsibility is accepted for any inaccuracies, errors, or omissions. It is always best to call ahead to make sure the information is still up-to-date.
If you are an eligible person (i.e. holder of an HKID) and have medical insurance, public hospital costs can be reimbursed. Considering how low public fees are, most patients pay out-of-pocket.
If you are not an eligible person (visiting / tourist), public hospital costs will be much higher and it is important to ensure you are well covered.
Address: 111 Wing Hong Street, Sham Shui Po, KLN
How to get there: MTR, bus, minibus, car or taxi.
For costs and details, view here
General Enquiry
Tel: 3408 5678
Service hours: 24 hours
Family Medicine Clinic
Tel: 3408 7001
Service hours: 8:30am-1pm & 2pm-5:15pm (Mon-Fr), closed on Saturday, Sunday and Public Holidays.
Request for Medical Record/ Report
Service hours: 8:30am-1pm & 2pm-5:15pm (Mon-Fr), closed on Saturday, Sunday and Public Holidays.
Patient Relations Officer
Tel: 3408 7079
Service hours: 8:30am-1pm & 2pm-5:15pm (Mon-Fr), closed on Saturday, Sunday and Public Holidays.
Specialist Outpatient Clinic
Tel: 3408 7096
Service hours: 9am-1pm & 2pm-5pm (Mon-Fri), closed on Saturday, Sunday and Public Holidays.
Ophthalmic Centre
Tel: 3408 7070
Service hours: 8:30am-1pm & 2pm-5pm (Mon-Fri), closed on Saturday, Sunday and Public Holidays.
The public hospital’s scope of services covers 24-hour accident and emergency Service, family medicine clinic, allied health, specialist outpatient services, different specialties, daycare and community Outreach Services and more. Read the article content to learn more.
The general practice is that upon patients’ arrival in the accident & emergency ward, trained nurses would make a preliminary assessment. The triage nurse will then categorize the patient into 5 groups based on their conditions:
Patients who are triaged as critical or in dire conditions will be treated by medical staff immediately. Non-urgent patients may have to wait for a longer time.
Yes. Recipients of CSSA shall notify the staff to be exempted from medical expenses every time they register for medical treatment and present identity documents. After the staff’s confirmation, they can be exempted from public medical service charges.
If you aren’t eligible for CSSA, you can also apply for the public hospital waiving of medical charges, Samaritan Fund, Community Care Fund Medical Assistance Programmes on the condition that you meet the requirements and pass the income vetting.
This article was independently written by Healthy Matters. It is informative only and not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. It should not be relied upon for specific medical advice.
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