Govt. Defends Voluntary Health Insurance Scheme

The Health Secretary, Sophia Chan, on Saturday played down concerns that the government's Voluntary Health Insurance Scheme (VHIS) will not provide the comprehensive chronic illness coverage that was originally envisaged.

The administration hopes the new scheme, which has been in the pipeline for a decade, can ease the pressure on the public healthcare system.

Last Wednesday, the Financial Secretary, Paul Chan, offered a tax break in his budget to encourage enrolment.

Sophia Chan said the scheme was still attractive.

"As far as the chronic illness people are concerned, some of the protection measures provided by VHIS include chemotherapy for cancer patients and some of the very important investigations and also hospitalisation", she said.

"I think that can partly address the issue of chronic illness. Of course, the public [healthcare] service is always here as a safety net for the people of Hong Kong", Sophia Chan added.