How to choose a paediatrician 2026: paediatrics and its subspecialties, checking specialist registration, public and private fees and waiting, insurance

What does a paediatrician treat?

Paediatrics provides medical care for infants, children and adolescents from around the time of birth to adolescence, including following up health, growth and development, preventing and treating disease, and psychological and learning problems; the Hong Kong College of Paediatricians also covers eight paediatric subspecialties, each dealing with one type of childhood illness (Hong Kong Academy of Medicine, Specialty Descriptions, April 2025). On the Medical Council's register, Paediatrics, each paediatric subspecialty and Paediatric Surgery are different specialties; for other specialty names, see the Chinese–English list of medical specialty names.

Which specialty follows up a child's condition, and whether referral to a paediatric subspecialty is needed, is decided by the treating doctor according to the condition.

How do I check whether a doctor is a specialist in paediatrics?

On the Medical Council of Hong Kong website, selecting ‘Paediatrics’ in the Specialist Register opens the list of doctors registered in that specialty; a search by name shows the specialty and 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.

Doctors can present themselves as specialists only if they are on the Specialist Register, and can use only the title of the specialty in which they are registered (Medical Council, Code of Professional Conduct for the Guidance of Registered Medical Practitioners, section 7, October 2022).

For what the qualification abbreviations on a business card mean, such as FHKAM (Paediatrics), see what FHKAM means.

How do I get a referral to public paediatrics? Can I book a private paediatrician directly?

The eight specialties for which the Hospital Authority regularly publishes new-case waiting times include Paediatrics. To book a new-case appointment at a Hospital Authority specialist outpatient clinic, you need a referral letter issued within the past three months by a locally registered doctor; one from a private doctor is also accepted. Compiled by this site: 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 the 2026 public healthcare fee reform.

For consultation fees at each institution, see private paediatrician fees compared; for booking steps, see how to book a public specialist outpatient clinic; for a general comparison of the two routes, see public or private for a specialist.

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

How long is the wait for public paediatrics?

From October 2025 to September 2026, the median waiting time for stable new cases in Hospital Authority paediatrics was 11 to 25 weeks (about 3 to 6 months) across the seven hospital clusters (under the former boundaries); the data are next due to be updated on 29 January 2027. For each cluster's figures, see public waiting times for paediatrics.

How do I compare hospitals and medical centres?

When comparing, look at the same item on the same basis. Private hospitals must keep 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 paediatrician?

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, and what should I bring to the first visit?

Is the doctor listed under Paediatrics (S10) on the Medical Council's Specialist Register? If you are seeing a paediatric subspecialist, which specialty is the doctor listed under?

How much are the first consultation and a follow-up? What grade is the doctor? Is the fee different for evening or holiday consultations?

Does the consultation fee include medicines? How are medicines charged, and how many days' supply is included?

What tests might be needed this time, and roughly how much will they cost?

Do you accept my child's medical insurance, can you bill the insurer directly, and is a referral letter or pre-approval needed?

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

A child with a fever: when should I call 999, go to A&E or see a doctor the same day?

Call 999 straight away, without waiting for an appointment, for: loss of consciousness (Department of Health, First Aid booklet). Where Hong Kong sources do not list a sign, the UK NHS is used; this site suggests going to A&E now, and calling 999 if you cannot get there yourself or it gets worse, for a child with a fever who is hard to wake or very drowsy, has a febrile fit for the first time, has difficulty breathing or bluish lips or skin, or has a rash that does not fade when a glass is pressed on it (NHS, Fever in children, January 2024). The Department of Health First Aid booklet also says to take a child with a febrile fit to hospital promptly.

This site suggests seeing a doctor the same day for: a baby aged two months or younger with a fever, a child with an immune problem who has a fever, feeding very poorly, a fever that persists, or signs of dehydration (Department of Health Family Health Service, Fever: see a doctor immediately). Hong Kong gives no temperature thresholds; for these the UK NHS is used: a baby under three months at 38°C or above, three to six months at 39°C or above, or a fever lasting five days or more (NHS, Fever in children, January 2024).

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 or seeing a doctor the same day, 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 paediatrician, 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