Comparison between Public and Private Doctors


Working Conditions

Public Doctors

Private Doctors

  • Lay stress on team work and team spirit

  • Great work pressure

  • Have government support in respect of medical staff, equipment and resources

  • Institutionalized. Have to follow specific guidelines and practices

  • Have to work shifts, overtime when necessary and irregular working hours

  • Establish a closer relationship with patients

  • Work on one’s own and bear great pressure at the same time

  • Lack government support in terms of equipment and resources

  • General family doctors may only play a referring role when faced with serious and complicated cases.

  • Have to take up work other than medical care, say clinic management

  • Self-employed and more flexible

  • Competition is keen among private doctors


In-service Training

  • Have more opportunities of practice

  • Have more exposure to new medical knowledge, skills and cases

  • Have more opportunities to learn from each other by exchanging views

  • Have better-developed professional training

  • Confined to serious and critical cases. Have few opportunities to treat the common and infectious diseases, particularly at the early stage of these disease

  • Have more opportunities to treat different kinds of illnesses, and provide personal and comprehensive care to his patients from their early stage of illness and throughout the treatment period, which can serve as a kind of in-depth learning

  • Apart from self-study and experience sharing with their peers, they can attend various learning courses as they like

  • Private practice specialists can have the same opportunities to discuss and exchange views with hospital doctors and overseas specialists



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