ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the historical development of the health care system and the role of the colonial government in health care provision in the pre-reform era. It explains the institutions of government, the public health and health care systems in Hong Kong in early years and health care development in post-war years. Using the theory of historical institutionalism to review the development trajectory of the health care system in Hong Kong before 1990 shows how the interplay of political institutions, ideas and environmental triggers shaped the development of health care policy in Hong Kong over time. An overview of the development trajectory of the health care system in Hong Kong shows that during the early colonial period, the government was indifferent to providing health care services to its subjects because priority was given to economic development. The concluding section examines the development trajectory of health care in Hong Kong using historical institutionalism.
