How to choose a lymphoma doctor 2026: Haematology & Haematological Oncology, checking specialist registration, public and private routes and PET scan fees, insurance

Which specialty treats lymphoma?

Haematology & Haematological Oncology is a specialty of adult internal medicine dealing with diseases of the blood, lymphatic and blood-forming systems, also including stem cell transplantation; Paediatric Haematology & Oncology is a branch of Paediatrics dealing with benign and malignant blood diseases and cancers in children (Hong Kong Academy of Medicine, Specialty Descriptions, April 2025). Our analysis: lymphoma is a cancer of the lymphatic system and falls within the scopes above; the specialties related to lymphoma are in the table below.

Chemotherapy in the Hospital Authority is provided by clinical oncologists, medical oncologists and other specialists; the Hong Kong Cancer Strategy 2019 proposes closer collaboration within clusters among clinical oncologists, medical oncologists, surgical oncologists and haematological oncologists to provide surgery and systemic treatments such as chemotherapy and targeted therapy (Food and Health Bureau, July 2019).

For other specialties for children, see How to choose a paediatrician; for other cancers of the blood system, see How to choose a blood cancer doctor.

Which specialty takes charge of an individual patient, and how the patient is treated, is decided by the treating doctor according to the patient's condition.

How do I check a doctor's specialist registration?

On the Medical Council of Hong Kong website, the Specialist Register can be opened by 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 revised edition).

For what qualification abbreviations mean, see What is FHKAM?.

How do the public and private routes work?

‘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 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?; for cancer drug charges and subsidies, see Cancer financial support in Hong Kong.

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 much does a PET scan cost?

Among the private hospitals and medical centres this site checked, the 8 that publish a fee for a plain whole-body trunk PET-CT scan charge from HK$15,200 to HK$18,390. (HK dollars; fees published on institution websites as checked on 1 October 2026; pricing bases and what is included, such as the radiologist's fee, differ between institutions; confirm with the hospital.)

For each hospital's fees, see PET-CT fees compared.

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 lymphoma doctor?

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?

Which specialty on the Medical Council's Specialist Register is the doctor listed under?

Does the doctor regularly treat patients with lymphoma? Will the treatment plan be discussed with other specialties?

How much is the first consultation? What tests might be needed this time, and roughly how much will they cost?

If chemotherapy, radiotherapy, stem cell transplantation or admission is needed later, can a budget estimate of the service fees be provided first?

Is my medical insurance accepted? Is a referral letter or pre-approval needed?

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

Lymphoma: when should I call 999 or go to A&E straight away?

If you feel it is an emergency, call 999 straight away. 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 which specialty you need, you can see a family doctor first; which specialty to be referred to is decided by the attending doctor according to your condition.

Frequently asked questions