10-06-2002, 12:00 AM
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 | Administrator | | Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Hong Kong
Posts: 270
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My response to him which was never published... and appropriately as there were two more responses from others. Quote:
I appreciate Dr Robert Law's candid response (Aug 13, 2002) to an earlier letter published by me, complaining about the price discrimination in the Hong Kong hospitals. Unfortunately, Dr Law seems to have confused the issues up. I have no problems with the hospitals charging different rates for different room types. My problem lies with the doctors charging different rates depending on room types, more than often without having taken explicit consent from the patients.
The analogy of doctor’s fees with flying first class on an airline is
flawed. One flies first class because one arrives in better shape and gets better service. As a healer, I am sure Dr Law does not discriminate while providing services to his patients depending on the rooms that they are in. Room rates have no connection with the level of service provided by the doctors. The analogy is further flawed by the fact that the airlines practically invented and continue practice price discrimination. Do hospitals charge
their patients as discriminately as airlines? Do they list their surplus capacity on priceline.com and let patients bid on them? No.
Dr Law also brings up an excellent point when he mentions full disclosure. Most doctors in Hong Kong do not practice full disclosure. I would bet that I would not be able to get more than half the doctors in Central to give me their pricing structures on or before the first visit that I make to their clinics. Doctors in Hong Kong have to give up their "if you have to ask how much you cant afford it" attitude and practice better disclosure.
Finally, I would once again like to point out that there are indeed some extremely competent doctors in Hong Kong, that do justice to the Hippocratic oath. I know these doctors would not hesitate to treat a patient for free or with their own funds, if it meant healing. Unfortunately, they are slowly turning into an extinct species.
Regards,
Shriram Chaubal
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