Health Care Voucher Scheme Corruption Prevention Guide for Service Providers Issued by the ICAC/醫療券計劃廉政公署發布的服務提供者防貪指南
The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) has published a Corruption Prevention Guide (the Guide) for service providers engaged in the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) programmes for healthcare services to help them avoid falling prey to risks of corruption and other malpractices. Copy of the Guide is available on the ICAC website and can be downloaded through the attached link.
As an Enrolled Health Care Provider under the Health Care Voucher Scheme (HCVS), your attention is drawn to the following legal and probity requirements of the Guide for your compliance to avoid breaching the law or falling into pitfalls of corruptions:
(A) Legal Requirements
Prevention of Bribery Ordinance (Cap. 201)
Section 4(1) – It is an offence to offer any advantage to a public servant as an inducement to or reward for that public servant’s performing or abstaining from performing any act in his capacity as public servant.
Section 8 – It is an offence, while having dealings of any kind with a government department/office or a public body, to offer any advantage to any government officer or public servant employed in that department/office or public body.
Section 9(1) – It is an offence for an agent, without his principal’s permission, to solicit or accept advantages for performing an act in relation to the principal’s affairs or business. An example is that if a healthcare professional (an agent Note) accepts rebates from an individual/organisation for referring a patient to him/it for further services without permission from the patient (the principal Note) for accepting such rebates, the healthcare professional commits an offence under Section 9(1) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance.
Note: An “agent” is a person employed by or acting for the principal, including a staff member employed by a service provider. An individual healthcare professional (e.g. a medical practitioner) is an agent of the programme participant who consults him or receives services from him. For staff of healthcare service providers, their “principals” are their employers (e.g. private hospitals, radiology centres). For individual healthcare professionals, their principals are the individuals who receive services from them.
Other Ordinances and Offences
Fraud, Section 16A of the Theft Ordinance (Cap. 210) – It is an offence for any person, by any deceit and with intent to defraud, to induce another person to commit an act or make an omission which results in benefiting any person, or in prejudice or a substantial risk of prejudice to any person.
Conspiracy to Defraud, Common Law – This offence concerns two or more persons dishonestly agreeing to commit fraud against another person.
Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance (Cap. 486) – The Ordinance sets out the requirements for handling the personal data and health records of the programme participants.
(B) Probity Requirements
- Follow the recommended practices in the “Integrity and Corruption Prevention Guide on Managing Relationship with Public Servants”, which is available on the ICAC website and can be downloaded through the attached link, when having business dealings with public servants. Some key principles are extracted below:
- You shall NOT offer advantage to a public servant with the intention to influence the public servant in the performance of his official duties;
- You shall NOT offer advantage to a public servant with the intention to keep him “sweet”, with a view to obtaining a favourable disposition in the future in relation to his official duties/capacity; and
- You shall NOT offer advantage to any public servant while have dealings of any kind with the government department or public body in which he is employed. - Do not offer, solicit or accept any advantage defined in the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance (Cap. 201) when providing services under a PPP programme, and prohibit your staff and agents from doing so. You can post warnings against bribery at conspicuous places of your service locations as far as practicable.
- Set out the probity standards expected of your staff.
- Develop a mechanism to properly handle the conflict of interest declared by your staff.
- Keep all confidential information in a secure manner and restrict its access to authorised parties only on a need-to-know basis.
In addition to the above legal and probity requirements, you are reminded to comply with the code relevant to your practising profession issued by the professional body, the “Definitions, and Terms and Conditions of Agreement" (the HCVS Agreement) and the Proper Practices of the HCVS, as well as any directions given by the Government from time to time under the HCVS Agreement or in relation to the HCVS. Copy of the HCVS Agreement and the Proper Practices under the HCVS can be downloaded through the following link:
HCVS Agreement and Proper Practices
Disclaimer:
The above descriptions and explanation of legal requirements under the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance and other relevant laws are necessarily general and abbreviated for ease of understanding. You are advised to refer to the original text of the relevant laws or seek legal advice on particular issues where necessary. Moreover, the above advice and recommendations are by no means prescriptive or exhaustive. The Department of Health will not accept any responsibility, legal or otherwise, for any loss occasioned to any person acting or refraining from action as a result of any information stated above.
Department of Health
June 2026
廉政公署為參與公私營醫療協作計劃（協作計劃）的服務提供者發布了一份防貪指南（指南），旨在協助他們避免涉及貪污舞弊的風險。該指南可於廉政公署的網站查閱並可透過以下連結下載。
作為醫療券計劃的已登記醫療服務提供者，請你注意遵守以下指南內有關法律及誠信的要求，以免違法或墮入貪污的陷阱：
（甲） 法律要求
《防止賄賂條例》（香港法例第201章）
第4(1)條 – 任何人向公職人員提供任何利益，作為該公職人員作出或不作出任何憑其公職人員身分而作的行為的誘因或報酬，即屬犯罪。
第8條 – 任何人與政府部門/ 辦事處或公共機構進行任何事務往來時，向受僱於該政府部門/ 辦事處或公共機構的政府人員或公職人員提供任何利益，即屬犯罪。
第9(1)條 – 任何代理人如未經主事人許可，因作出任何與其主事人的事務或業務有關的作為而索取或收受利益，即屬犯罪。舉例如一名醫療專業人士（代理人註）接受個別人士/ 機構的回佣，作為轉介病人作跟進服務的報酬而沒有獲得有關病人（主事人註）的同意，該醫療專業人士便會觸犯《防止賄賂條例》第9(1)條。
註：｢代理人｣指受僱於其主事人或代其主事人辦事的人，包括受僱於服務提供者的職員。當個別醫療專業人士（例如執業醫生）替參與協作計劃的病人診症或向其提供服務時，前者亦是後者的代理人。就醫療服務提供者的僱員而言，｢主事人｣為其僱主（例如私家醫院、放射診斷中心等）。至於個別醫療專業人士，其主事人則為委聘他們提供服務的人士。
其他條例及罪行
欺詐罪，《盜竊罪條例》（第210章）第16A條 – 如任何人藉作任何欺騙並意圖詐騙，而誘使另一人作出或不作出任何作為，而導致任何人獲得利益或蒙受不利或有相當程度的可能性會蒙受不利，即屬干犯欺詐罪。
《普通法》中的串謀詐騙罪 – 此罪行涉及兩名或以上的人士同意以不誠實方式欺詐另一人。
《個人資料(私隱)條例》(第486章) – 該條例列出在處理協作計劃參與者的個人資料和健康記錄時的規定。
（乙） 誠信要求
- 與公職人員進行業務往來時須遵守《與公職人員往來的誠信防貪指南》內的建議守則；有關指南已上載於廉政公署網站，並可透過以下連結下載。一些重要原則摘錄如下：
- 你不得向公職人員提供利益，意圖在其執行職務事宜上影響該公職人員；
- 你不得向公職人員提供利益，意圖藉此用｢甜頭｣籠絡他，以期望將來在與其職務/公職身分有關的事宜上獲得優待或方便;及
- 你不得與政府部門或公共機構有任何事務往來時，向受僱於該政府部門或公共機構的任何公職人員提供利益。 - 就協作計劃提供服務時，不得提供、索取和接受《防止賄賂條例》(第201章)下所訂明的任何利益，亦嚴禁你的職員及代理人進行該等行為。在可行的情況下，你可於服務地點的顯眼處張貼反貪的警告。
- 訂明員工須符合的誠信標準。
- 制訂機制以妥善處理職員所申報的利益衝突。
- 妥善保存所有機密資料並按有需要知情的原則，只准獲授權人士取閱有關資料。
除以上有關法律及誠信的要求外，我們亦藉此提醒你遵守由專業團體發出與你的執業專業相關的守則、《醫療券計劃定義附表及協議的條款和條件》（醫療券計劃協議）和使用醫療券的守則，以及政府不時根據醫療券計劃協議或就醫療券計劃所發出的任何指示。醫療券計劃協議及使用醫療券的守則可透過以下連結下載：
免責聲明：
以上有關《防止賄賂條例》及其他相關法例/ 法律條文的陳述及解釋，只屬一般和概括性質，以便讀者容易理解。如有需要，你應就個別情況參考法例原文或徵詢法律意見。此外，上述提供的意見和建議並非詳盡無遺。任何人如因以上的任何資訊作出或放棄作出任何行動而招致損失，衞生署概不負責，包括法律或其他責任。
衞生署
2026年6月
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