Penalty provision on operation of day procedure centre without licence under Private Healthcare Facilities Ordinance to take effect
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The Department of Health (DH) today (June 28) said that the penalty provision pertaining to the operation of a day procedure centre (DPC) without a licence under the Private Healthcare Facilities Ordinance (Cap. 633) will take effect on June 30. Starting from that date, it will be an offence to operate a DPC without a licence.
The Ordinance provides for a new regulatory regime for premises of private healthcare facilities (PHFs) where registered medical practitioners and dentists practise. The Government is implementing the Ordinance in phases according to the risk of the type of PHFs. All hospital licences and the penalty provision on operation of a hospital without a licence have commenced on January 1, 2021. For DPCs, which are premises used for carrying out scheduled medical procedures under the Ordinance without lodging, licence application has commenced in January 2020 and the respective licences have been effective in batches since January 1, 2021.
After the penalty provision takes effect on June 30, any person operating a DPC without a licence will commit an offence and be liable on conviction to a fine of level 6 ($100,000) and imprisonment for three years.
As of June 24, there were 244 licensed DPCs (148 full licences and 96 provisional licences). The DH has established a Private Healthcare Facilities Register (www.directory.orphf.gov.hk/Directory/en/Home/Home), which lists out information of the PHFs with DPC licence in force for public inspection.
For more information, please refer to the website of the Office for Regulation of Private Healthcare Facilities of the DH (www.orphf.gov.hk/en).