How to choose a gastroenterologist 2026: which specialty, checking specialist registration, public and private fees and waiting, gastroscopy and colonoscopy fees, insurance

What does a gastroenterologist treat?

Gastroenterology & Hepatology is part of adult internal medicine and deals with diseases of the digestive tract, pancreas, liver and biliary tract, from prevention and investigation to diagnosis and treatment; General Surgery deals with diseases in any part of the body that need an operation, and its scope also includes endoscopic examination and treatment (Hong Kong Academy of Medicine, Specialty Descriptions, April 2025). On the Medical Council register, the two are different specialties.

Our analysis: what people usually call ‘gastroenterology’ and ‘hepatology’ correspond to Gastroenterology & Hepatology (S17) on the Medical Council register; see Gastroenterology & Hepatology: English name and code.

Which specialty follows up a particular gut or liver problem, and whether endoscopy is needed, is decided by the treating doctor according to the patient's condition.

I have no symptoms but want my gut or liver checked. What does Hong Kong recommend?

Average-risk people aged 50 to 75 without symptoms can consider colorectal cancer screening (2024); stomach cancer screening (2024) and routine liver cancer screening (2025) are not recommended for average-risk people; there are separate recommendations for people with chronic hepatitis B or C and people with cirrhosis, set out in the table below (Hong Kong Cancer Expert Working Group on Cancer Prevention and Screening).

The screening recommendations apply only to people without symptoms (Hong Kong Cancer Expert Working Group on Cancer Prevention and Screening, 2024 and 2025). For colorectal cancer screening methods, the recommendations for people at higher risk and the government-subsidised programme, see How to choose a colorectal cancer doctor.

How do I check whether a doctor is a Gastroenterology & Hepatology specialist?

On the Medical Council of Hong Kong website, choosing ‘Gastroenterology & Hepatology’ in the Specialist Register opens the list of doctors registered in that specialty; searching by name shows the specialty and the specialist registration number in the specialist registration field of the doctor's record. For the steps, see How to check a doctor's registration and specialty.

A doctor must be on the Specialist Register to hold himself or herself out as a specialist, and can use only the title of the specialty in which he or she is registered (Medical Council, Code of Professional Conduct for the Guidance of Registered Medical Practitioners, section 7, October 2022).

Upper Gastrointestinal Surgery, Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery and Colorectal Surgery are among the six subspecialties recognised by The College of Surgeons of Hong Kong under General Surgery; general surgeons who complete the training are awarded a Certificate of Post-Fellowship Training in Subspecialty by the College. The specialty registered on the Medical Council register is General Surgery (S28); the register does not list these subspecialties.

For what qualification abbreviations on a name card mean, such as FHKAM (Medicine), see What is FHKAM?.

How do I get a referral to a public gastroenterology clinic? Can I book a private specialist directly?

To book a new appointment at a Hospital Authority specialist outpatient clinic, you need a referral letter issued by a locally registered doctor within the last three months; a letter from a private doctor is also accepted. Our analysis: for a private specialist, you can ask the hospital or clinic directly how to book; if you use medical insurance, whether a referral letter or pre-approval is needed depends on the policy terms, and you can ask the insurer first.

‘Eligible Persons’ in the table mainly means holders of a Hong Kong Identity Card and children under 11 who are Hong Kong residents; for details, see Public healthcare fee reform 2026.

For each institution's consultation fees, see Private gastroenterologist fees compared; for the booking steps, see How to book a public specialist outpatient clinic; for a general comparison of the two routes, see Public or private specialist?.

If your condition gets worse while you wait, you can contact the specialist outpatient clinic to ask for an earlier appointment; in an emergency, go to the Accident and Emergency Department.

How long is the wait for public gastroenterology?

The eight specialties the Hospital Authority regularly publishes include Medicine, and Gastroenterology & Hepatology is not listed separately; for reference, from October 2025 to September 2026 the median waiting time for stable new cases in Hospital Authority Medicine ranged from 28 to 61 weeks (about 6 to 14 months) across the seven hospital clusters (by former boundaries), and the data's next update is due on 29 January 2027. For the figures by cluster, see Public waiting time for Medicine (for reference).

Roughly how much do gastroscopy, colonoscopy and ultrasound cost?

At the 11 private hospitals this site checked, diagnostic gastroscopy packages cost about HK$8,340 to HK$17,300 and colonoscopy packages about HK$10,070 to HK$19,880 (HK dollars; fees published on institution websites as checked on 1 October 2026; confirm with the hospital); what the packages include and which doctors and room classes they apply to differ.

For day-case median bills, upper abdominal ultrasound and each hospital's fees, see Gastroscopy fees compared, Colonoscopy fees compared and Ultrasound fees compared.

In public hospitals, ultrasound is an Intermediate item in non-emergency radiology, at HK$250 per item for Eligible Persons from 1 January 2026 (Hospital Authority Chief Executive, March 2025).

How do I compare hospitals or medical centres?

When comparing, put the same item on the same basis. Private hospitals must have a fee schedule covering all chargeable items, and patients have the right to know the charges before treatment (Department of Health, Code of Practice for Private Hospitals, July 2026).

For each private hospital's fees, see Private hospital fees.

What should I check when using medical insurance for a gastroenterologist?

Before seeing a private specialist, confirm three things with the insurer: whether the policy covers specialist outpatient visits, whether it is limited to a designated medical network, and whether a referral letter or pre-approval is needed; see Using medical insurance for a private specialist.

The Voluntary Health Insurance Scheme covers only individual indemnity hospital insurance; outpatient insurance is outside the Scheme. The Standard Plan covers up to 1 outpatient or emergency consultation before a hospital stay or day surgery, and up to 3 follow-up outpatient visits within 90 days after discharge or day surgery, which must be directly related to the illness or injury requiring the hospital stay or day surgery, at HK$580 per visit and HK$3,000 per policy year (Voluntary Health Insurance Scheme, Standard Plan policy template, July 2022).

Some insurers offer pre-approval (commonly called ‘免找數’): if both the policy and the hospital offer direct billing, you can apply to the insurer before admission and the insurer pays the hospital directly; the approved amount is an estimate, and before discharge you still pay charges not listed in the ‘letter of guarantee’, such as the deductible, co-payment and items outside the cover (Insurance Authority, January 2024); see Medical insurance pre-approval.

What should I ask before booking? What should I bring to the first visit?

Is the doctor listed under Gastroenterology & Hepatology (S17) on the Medical Council's Specialist Register? If the doctor is a surgeon, is he or she listed under General Surgery (S28)?

How much are the first consultation and follow-ups? What grade is the doctor?

Does the consultation fee include medicines? What tests might be needed this time, and roughly how much will they cost?

If a gastroscopy or colonoscopy is needed, does the package include the doctor's fee and the anaesthetist's fee? How much extra is polyp removal or a tissue biopsy?

Is my medical insurance accepted, can the clinic bill the insurer directly, and is a referral letter or pre-approval needed?

If a procedure or admission is needed later, can a budget estimate of the service fees be provided first?

What to bring: a referral letter (if any), previous test reports and a list of the medicines you are taking; see What to prepare before a specialist appointment.

Vomiting blood, black stools or severe abdominal pain: when should I go to A&E straight away?

Go to A&E now, without waiting for an appointment, and call 999 if you cannot get there yourself or it gets worse, for: vomiting blood, or black or bloody stools; or abdominal pain that came on very suddenly or is severe. Hong Kong sources do not list these signs item by item; they are taken from the UK NHS (NHS, Stomach ache, May 2023).

If you feel it is an emergency for any other reason, call 999 straight away too. The situations in which this site suggests calling 999, with the source for each, are listed in Why do we suggest calling 999?.

If it is not urgent and you are not sure whether you need a gastroenterologist, you can see a family doctor first; which specialty to be referred to is decided by the attending doctor according to your condition (see the questions below).

Frequently asked questions