The overall regulation of private medical practice may be strengthened when the role of the private sector in the provision of primary healthcare service is enhanced, the Health, Welfare & Food Bureau says.

In a Legislative Council paper today, the bureau said the administration of unregistered vaccines in November caused considerable concern about the service standard of health maintenance organisation-like group practices. However, the incident also involved some medical practitioners in private practice.

While the number of against health maintenance organisation-like groups has been on the rise, from 10 in 2003 to 51 last year, mainly attributed to sales practice, the bureau noted the existing monitoring mechanism sufficiently protects patient interest as far as medical service quality is concerned.

The Medical Council has issued the Professional Code & Conduct for the Guidance of Registered Medical Practitioners to ensure practitioner compliance with procedures and standards. The code also delineates appropriate conduct for practitioners participating in contract medicine and managed care.

Disciplinary mechanism effective

Dereliction of professional responsibilities may be taken as professional misconduct, which is subject to disciplinary action imposed by the council, which has put in place an effective disciplinary inquiry mechanism to look into and adjudicate these cases. Appropriate disciplinary sanctions are imposed according to the seriousness of the contravention.

As it is the individual doctor's responsibility to ensure drugs provided to patients, including vaccines, should be suitable for use by the patients, the bureau does not see a need to single out managed care groups for regulation at the moment.

However, the Government's vision is to enhance the role of the private sector in the provision of primary healthcare services. Therefore, there may be a need to strengthen the overall regulation of private medical practice in the enhancement process.

Such a regulatory regime would be more likely to encompass all forms of private medical business operation, including solo-practice clinics, various forms of health maintenance organisation-like entities and groups. The trade and other stakeholders will be consulted in the development process.