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HK Hospital Authority 2008 Annual report shows a revenue reserve of $(-93,061,000).
For 2007, it is $(-353,720,000).
For the 32 billions raised by HK Hospital Authority from the government, donation and other avenues, only 2 billions is charged from the patients.
Still charging too much? Maybe. I suppose you can always pay more tax and add a bit to the 28 billion the government is already paying. (Or donate privately)
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For doctor salary, consider the news lately: the union nearly starts a labour dispute. Doctors can always vote with their feet and leave the place.
Consider the cost and risk of studying all these years to become a doctor. It is unreasonable to demand a resonably comfortable living quality?
Philip K. Howard在其所著《The Death of Common Sense: How Law is Suffocating America》一書中,探討正以幾何級數倍增的規章、指引,今天如何扼殺美國人的「常識」(common sense)和「判斷」(judgment),讓社會愈來愈窒息,失卻活力。作者提到以下一個有關德蘭修女的故事。
在1970年代,美國社會發展出一種思維,就是以清晰及精確的指引,來保證做法上的一致性,消除偏頗,以及不確定性。這種倡議,在學術界、政界、司法界、管理層等之中,都大有市場。結果就如作者所說:「Detailed rule after detailed rule addresses every eventuality, or at least every situation lawmakers and bureaucrats can think of.」
作者指稱如此便出現了一個弔詭的結果:「a system of regulation that goes too far while it also does too little.」——少到一個地步,甚至連一棟庇護中心都建設不到、一條生命也拯救不到、一顆眼睛也可能有一天挽回不到……