The best health checks in Hong Kong, and how to choose

What the Consumer Council found

In 2023 the Consumer Council compared 33 basic health check plans from 12 private hospitals or their medical centres and 14 private medical groups [1]. Prices ran from HK$820 to HK$8,310, a gap of more than nine times. More than half of the plans, 18 in all, showed two prices, such as an original price and a special price [1].

Doctors were not always part of the plan. In 23 plans a doctor took part in the diagnosis, while in 10 plans the screening was run only by nurses, technicians or laboratory staff. Five plans did not include a doctor explaining the report [1].

Hospital plans usually cost more and covered more tests. Medical group plans were cheaper and charged for each added test, and once those were added the totals could be similar. An exercise stress test added to a plan cost from HK$1,880 to HK$3,790 [1].

When a private hospital suits you

A hospital programme suits someone who wants every test in one building on one day, with a doctor at the start and at the end. Matilda International Hospital publishes its Diamond Premium programme at HK$36,880 and up. It runs on a weekday for 6 to 7 hours and includes a colonoscopy under monitored anaesthesia, a CT heart scan and a follow-up consultation with a doctor within three months [2].

The same hospital lists its Platinum programme at HK$19,300 and its Gold programme at HK$12,400 on its price list from 1 January 2025 [3]. Its prices are subject to change without notice, so ask for the current figure in writing before you book [2].

When a doctor led practice suits you

A doctor led practice suits someone who wants time with a doctor more than a long list of tests. OT&P publishes four body check packages, from HK$5,900 for its Standard check to HK$15,900 for its Ultra check, which is aimed at patients over 40 [4].

Each package states how long you spend with the doctor. The Standard check includes a 45 minute first consultation and a 15 minute follow-up, and the Comprehensive check at HK$9,900 includes 60 minutes and 30 minutes [4]. A practice like this can also look after the problems a check turns up, which keeps your results with one team.

What a health check can and cannot do

A general check offered to everyone has a weak record. A Cochrane review of 17 trials, 15 of which reported outcomes for 251,891 people, found that general health checks made little or no difference to deaths from any cause, from cancer or from heart disease [5].

Tests chosen for your age, sex and family history do more. The Consumer Council reminded readers that more tests do not always help, because some carry their own risks, and gave gastroscopy as an invasive test with a risk of infection or bleeding [1]. It also noted that the government's Cancer Expert Working Group did not recommend screening people at average risk for lung, liver, nasopharyngeal, thyroid, ovarian or pancreatic cancer [1].

The Council listed the checks that do apply to most adults. Everyone should have their blood pressure checked at least once a year, and people aged 45 or over a blood sugar test every 3 years. From 50 to 75, add a cholesterol test every 3 years and bowel cancer screening by a stool test every 1 to 2 years, a sigmoidoscopy every 5 years or a colonoscopy every 10 years [1].

Six questions to ask before you pay

Plan to pay for a check yourself. Chubb's policy wording for the standard plan of the Voluntary Health Insurance Scheme excludes general check-ups, routine tests and screening for conditions without symptoms [6]. Then ask each provider the same questions, so you compare like with like.

• Will a doctor examine me and go through every result with me in person?
• Which tests are included, and which are charged on top?
• Why is each test on the list right for my age and my family history?
• Who reads my scans, and how soon will I have the report?
• If a result needs a second test, who arranges it and what does it cost?
• Is the price on the page the price I pay, or a special price with conditions?

Appointments in Hong Kong

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