MORE Hong Kongers have come to Shenzhen for medical care recently, Shenzhen Special Zone Daily reported yesterday.

    “It takes a few months to get an NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) scan in Hong Kong but a shorter period in Shenzhen at a lower cost,” said a Hong Kong resident surnamed Liu who suffered from back pain.

    According to the report, Hong Kong patients favor orthopedics departments in mainland hospitals and traditional Chinese medicine treatment.

    A Hong Kong woman surnamed Zeng said that she got X-rays in a clinic in Hong Kong, but she continued to suffer from difficulty breathing for six months. The clinic later suggested that Zeng go to an orthopedics clinic in a Shenzhen hospital.

    A doctor in Shenzhen recommended she get a traditional Chinese massage. After a week of treatment, Zeng said her problem went away, for a total cost of less than 1,000 yuan (US$156.90).

    An orthopedics department at a Shenzhen hospital receives almost 40 Hong Kong patients every day.

    Shang Hongsheng, the director of the department, said that some public hospitals in Hong Kong have just opened traditional Chinese medicine departments recently, and the treatment is costly, so Hong Kong residents are coming to Shenzhen.

    Shenzhen’s internal medicine and dental clinics are becoming popular in Hong Kong.

    “It costs about HK$30,000 (US$3,870) to implant a tooth but it’s only 7,000 to 8,000 yuan in Shenzhen,” said a Hong Kong resident surnamed Zhang at a dental hospital in Luohu District.

    The report said that almost 10 percent of the patients going to the dental departments in Luohu District are Hong Kong residents, mostly because Luohu is so close to the Hong Kong border.

    Most commercial medical insurance also covers treatment in Shenzhen, adding to the popularity of the city with patients.

    Patients can get partial refunds for treatment in less than a week from most insurance companies.

    However, a staff member in a public hospital said that many of the patients are seeing doctors in Shenzhen because they live in the city or have property in Shenzhen.

    The staff member also said that the medical service level at many Shenzhen hospitals still needs improvement. (Zhang Qian)