The Government will set aside funding for the Hospital Authority in case of emergencies, Secretary for Food & Health Prof Sophia Chan said today.

Speaking at a press conference on initiatives in the 2019-20 Budget, Prof Chan said the Government will earmark $10 billion to set up a public healthcare stabilisation fund to prepare for any additional expenditure which may be incurred by the authority due to unexpected circumstances.

She said: “We have been increasing our funding for the Hospital Authority throughout the past few years, especially with this new funding model, the three-year cycle funding model, that would allow the Hospital Authority to better plan their services in terms of the change in demographics and also the ageing population, and also, if there are any changes in the population numbers.

“So really, this is to set aside just in case for emergency.”

The Government will provide a total of $69.9 billion in funding for the authority in the 2019-20 financial year, an increase of 8.5% compared to the 2018-19 figure, Prof Chan said.

Additionally, the authority was asked to prepare a medium to long-term manpower plan outlining the resources they need, for example, the number of doctors and nurses required for the next 10 to 20 years.

Prof Chan also said the number of applications for limited registration contracts has increased following the commencement of the Medical Registration (Amendment) Ordinance 2018, which extends the validity of such contracts from one year to three years.

With more promotion and publicity in Hong Kong and overseas, the Government hopes this number will further increase, she added.