WHILE Shenzheners have shown great enthusiasm in welcoming Hong Kong University Shenzhen Hospital, the city’s first Hong Kong-style public hospital, some of the city’s private clinics run by Hong Kong doctors continue to face numerous challenges.

The Daily Sunshine surveyed three Shenzhen clinics run by Hong Kong-registered physicians and found that the clinics weren’t seeing heavy use, contrary to many expectations and irrespective of the new hospital’s opening.

Wu Wei Clinic, for example, opened in December 2010 in Luohu District and was the first clinic in Shenzhen to be run by a Hong Kong doctor. It has nearly 40 staff members — more than its average amount of daily patients.

Two other clinics run by Hong Kong doctors, Dental Bauhinia and Chiho Medical Center, saw just 20 to 30 patients daily, much fewer than their Hong Kong peers, according to the survey.

Doctors said high costs of treatment and language barriers are the main reasons why their clinics aren’t popular among Shenzheners.

Wu Wei Clinic charges 500 —700 yuan (US$79-$111) for each patient. Patients cannot use their Shenzhen social security card at the clinic.

“The cost is relatively high, which explains why it’s not attractive to mainland patients,” said Wu Wei, the Hong Kong-registered physician who runs his namesake clinic.

The fee for treatment at Chiho Medical Center is 500 yuan, more than 10 times the cost at Shenzhen’s public hospitals. Dental Bauhinia clinic charges 20-30 percent more than local public hospitals, plus a 50-yuan registration fee that’s more than double that of public hospitals.

Dr. William S.J. Zhu, owner of Dental Bauhinia, said 40 percent of his patients are expatriates. At Chiho Medical Center, 90 percent of the patients are expatriates with international medical insurance.

The different management systems used by Shenzhen and Hong Kong health authorities also pose a challenge for Hong Kong doctors.

Dr. Zhu said nurses help dentists in Shenzhen, but in Hong Kong, dentists are helped by dental assistants.

“In Hong Kong, dentists are managed by a dentists’ management commission, but it’s not so in Shenzhen,” he said, adding that language is another barrier.

However, Hong Kong doctors in Shenzhen said they still thought highly of the city’s upscale medical market and have enough patience to make their clinics profitable.

“Compared with Shanghai and Beijing, Shenzhen is an emerging market requiring upscale medical services. I am looking forward to the growth of the business. My child is attending school in Shenzhen, which makes me more determined to stay here,” said Zac Morse, a doctor at Dental Bauhinia who’s registered in Australia and New Zealand.

“I think we are nurturing our market before it is mature enough to yield profits,” said Huang Chiho, owner of Chiho Clinic.

(Helen Deng, Luo Songsong)

within two years. Huang said he intends to open a second clinic in the Qianhai area, where Hong Kong doctors will be allowed to open a hospital according to a policy announced July 1.