HA to slash costs by $1bn in efficiency drive
HA Chief Executive Tony Ko (centre) says measures have been taken in various departments to compress costs and reduce staff workload. Photo: RTHK
The Hospital Authority (HA) said a series of measures it has undertaken to streamline workflow and its procurement system could translate into savings of HK$1 billion, while patients would benefit through cheaper and a wider choice of medications.
In a press briefing, the authority's chief pharmacist William Chui said a cost assessment panel set up to negotiate with pharmaceutical firms has paid dividends.
'We would negotiate the price based on scientific research and advice by medical economists,' he said, adding they would take reference from prices on the mainland.
As a result, Chui revealed that seven out of 10 suppliers have agreed to lower drug prices, with an average reduction of 20 percent.
HA Chief Executive Tony Ko, meanwhile, gave updates on the use of artificial intelligence tools to enhance efficiency and ease the workload of frontline staff.
He pointed to a Smart Antibiotic Stewardship Programme which can automatically identify potentially inappropriate use of antibiotics through protocol-driven algorithm.
Officially rolled out in January 2024, Ko said the tool saved time and effort as medics no longer had to comb through different databases to obtain patients' records.
'In the past, before we have this AI initiative, we need the expert colleagues, for example, our infectious disease expert or microbiology expert, to look into the various laboratory results to check the patient's conditions…before you decide whether you need to change antibiotics,' Ko said.
'We developed our own clinical management system for almost 30 years, and all the data are within our systems. Instead of asking people to do it manually, to check whether a certain patient still needed a certain broad-spectrum antibiotic, now it's all in the system and automated.'
The HA has also been using automated tools to tackle the large number of medical and discharge reports, with around 100,000 such requests received annually.
Ko said 80 percent of these reports can be generated by AI, reducing the time staff typically spent on this task by 40 percent, and their workload by one-third.
Every report will be manually verified to ensure accuracy, he added, while complex cases still have to be handled entirely by physicians.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RTHK
21 minutes ago
- RTHK
Hang Seng Index joins region in profit-taking
Hang Seng Index joins region in profit-taking The Hang Seng Index lost 135 points to open at 25,531.59 on Friday. File photo: RTHK Regional shares eased from highs on Friday, with Japanese markets retreating from a record peak, as investors locked in profits ahead of a crucial week that includes US President Donald Trump's tariff deadline and a host of central bank meetings. In Hong Kong, the benchmark Hang Seng Index lost 135 points, or 0.53 percent, to open at 25,531. Across the border, mainland blue chips declined 0.2 percent. Japan's broad Topix index, which had jumped more than 5 percent over the previous two sessions to reach an all-time high, pulled back 0.7 percent. The Nikkei slipped 0.5 percent from Thursday's one-year high. Australian shares were headed for their worst week in months, dragged down by losses in gold stocks and miners, while markets awaited progress in US trade talks. The S&P/ASX 200 index lost 0.5 percent to 8,935 by midday local time, taking its decline to more than 1 percent so far this week and putting it on track for its steepest weekly drop since April 4. Next week, in the United States alone, investors need to contend with Trump's August 1 deadline for trade deals, a Federal Reserve policy meeting, the closely watched monthly payrolls report, and earnings from the likes of Amazon, Apple, Meta and Microsoft. The Bank of Japan has its own policy announcement on Thursday, and Prime Minister Ishiba's Liberal Democratic Party holds a meeting the same day. That's after the European Central Bank held rates steady on Thursday, pausing its easing campaign as it waits to assess any impact from US tariffs. (Reuters/Xinhua)
HKFP
an hour ago
- HKFP
Allow ride-hailing services to operate only during peak hours, Hong Kong taxi union proposes
A Hong Kong taxi union has proposed that ride-hailing services be allowed to operate only during peak hours, as it welcomed a legislative proposal to regulate app-based booking platforms like Uber. The Hong Kong Taxi and Public Light Bus Association spokesperson Peter Yung told reporters on Wednesday that the union hoped it could be involved in the legislative process regulating online ride-hailing services. The union is of the view that traditional taxis should be the core providers of point-to-point services, while ride-hailing services should play merely an 'auxiliary' role, being allowed to operate only during peak hours, Yung said. In an earlier letter to transport chief Mable Chan, the association proposed allowing online ride-hails to operate only from 7am to 10am and 5pm to 8pm, Yung told reporters. Proposed regulations Last week, the Transport and Logistics Bureau submitted its proposal to the Legislative Council outlining a framework for regulating online ride-hailing services in Hong Kong. The government plans to cap the number of licences but has not given details of the specific limit. According to the proposal submitted to the Legislative Council's Panel on Transport, the government suggests issuing licences to ride-hailing platforms that would be valid for five years and renewable based on the platform's service performance. Chan had earlier said the authorities would take into consideration the public's convenience, the orderly development of the industry, the public transport system, and road-carrying capacity when deciding the number of licences. Asked how many licences the association believed should be in circulation, Yung did not state a number, only that it would depend on the government's data. Yung also said that the association had proposed issuing online ride-hailing licences through public tender, as is done for taxis. But the union is against allowing the licence to change hands, lest it become an investment tool. Ride-hailing services should 'co-exist' with the taxi trade to provide transport services, Chief Executive John Lee said. Ride-hailing apps currently operate in a grey area in the city, which requires vehicles offering hailing services to have a hire car permit. Private vehicle owners who provide hailing services on online platforms without a permit could face up to six months in jail and a HK$10,000 fine for the first offence. The popularity of services such as Uber has risen amid long-standing dissatisfaction with taxi service standards, while the cab industry is calling for tougher action against Uber and the like, saying that its livelihood has been adversely affected by ride-hailing services.
HKFP
10 hours ago
- HKFP
Fraudsters stole Asia Miles and accessed data from 1,000 loyalty accounts, airline Cathay Pacific says
Airline Cathay Pacific has apologised after customer data was breached and frequent flyer miles were stolen from some Asia Miles accounts. Personal particulars and travel details were exposed, though no credit card information was at risk, the flagship carrier said in a Thursday statement. 'Our preliminary investigation suggests that Asia Miles theft by unauthorised parties was the primary motivation, though the misuse of personal data remains a possibility,' the statement said. 'We have identified that approximately 1,000 Cathay accounts, most of which belong to Hong Kong-based members, were impacted by this incident,' the carrier added. Cathay said that it has already been in touch with the majority of affected members, reinstated their lost Asia Miles and restored their accounts. Remaining members are being identified, and their accounts have been temporarily locked for security purposes. Cybersecurity incidents The incident was reported to the authorities, including The Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data, Cathay said. On Monday, Hongkong Post said that a cyberattack on its online shipping portal may have exposed the personal data of senders and recipients. The PCPD, Hong Kong's privacy watchdog, said in November that 70 per cent of Hong Kong companies had experienced some form of cyberattack in the past year. In March, Hong Kong lawmakers passed a law meant to enhance safeguards for the city's key infrastructure systems against cyberattacks, imposing fines of up to HK$5 million for cybersecurity lapses.
