A British expert has backed the Government's view that primary-care doctors should play a positive gate-keeping role in the healthcare system.

Professor Julian Le Grand, Richard Titmuss Professor of Social Policy of the London School of Economics, met with the Permanent Secretary for Health, Welfare & Food Carrie Yau today to share his experience on healthcare reform.

As the Health Policy Adviser to the British Prime Minister in the past two years, Professor Le Grand said primary care physicians in the UK have effectively performed dual roles as deliverer of primary care and gatekeeper for secondary care.

Mrs Yau said: "There are valuable lessons Hong Kong can learn from the UK experience."

She added the UK experience has shown there is much scope for further developing the role of primary care family doctors as gatekeepers as proposed in the discussion paper Building a Healthy Tomorrow.