ABSTRACT
Hong Kong has adopted a unique approach in reforming healthcare so as to improve quality and safety. The key reform initiative involved corporatization of the public hospitals by setting up the Hospital Authority (HA) in 1990. The statutory organization is charged with the responsibility of introducing governance and management reforms in the public hospital system and to improve quality and safety of the public healthcare services. The reform led to initial success, with increased public confidence and demand for public healthcare services. In recent years, the Hong Kong Government has started to use the HA as a platform to introduce further reform initiatives to engage the private sector, including various public-private partnership (PPP) initiatives and hospital accreditation. The HA plays a central role in these reform initiatives.
