F E AT U R E 專 題 故 事
PRICING OUT PATIENTS 病不起 Lengthy waits and rising costs have created a healthcare system in which only the affluent can access fast, effective treatment in the private sector. 漫長的等待和不斷上升的價格，讓醫療體系變得只有富人 才能在私營機構得到快速而有效的治療。
Words 文 Rachel Blundy | Photography 攝影 Anthony Kwan
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ARIANA 2019
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ic Tinworth is a digital design consultant, trail runner and father. In the summer of 2018, the 44-year-old, who lives with his partner and two children in Mid-Levels, was diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme (a highly aggressive form of brain cancer). After receiving the shocking news, Tinworth quickly sought treatment. He visited private Hong Kong Adventist Hospital for surgery and public Queen Mary Hospital for therapy, leaning on his health insurance to cover the lion’s share of his HK$1 million-plus medical bills. “The advantages of going private are immeasurable if you are covered by insurance,” says Tinworth. “It’s so much quicker and easier. Public hospitals are under-resourced and overburdened, but you save a lot of money.” During his ongoing recovery, Tinworth had to relearn to walk. After just seven months, he is already back running on Hong Kong’s trails, completing the 12-kilometre QNET Gurkha Trailblazer race in January this year. Tinworth considers himself lucky. For those without a health insurance plan, access to the same treatments so quickly might have been impossible in Hong Kong.
