In Depth: Why Hong Kongers Are Flocking to the Mainland for Health Care

Despite the city’s high-quality medical system, residents are increasingly traveling north for access to more affordable and varied treatments

Two Hong Kong seniors ask about using elderly health care vouchers at the cross-border medical information desk at the University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital. Photo: Wen Simin/Caixin

Hong Kong residents have long traveled north into Guangdong province for relatively cheaper luxuries like dining out, spa treatments and shopping. But increasingly moving up the list of reasons is health care, as more and more Hong Kongers seek out medical treatment on the Chinese mainland.

But Hong Kong boasts some of the best medical standards globally, and its residents have enjoyed the highest average life expectancy worldwide for seven consecutive years — 80.7 years for men and 86.8 years for women.

So, despite the Asian financial hub’s high-quality public hospitals and medical services, why are residents crossing the border to Shenzhen for medical care?