Great management is rarely just about technical expertise; it hinges on a willingness to break free from conventional thinking and draw inspiration from diverse fields. Having spent over three decades in public healthcare, Dr Chung Kin-lai (EMBA 2011) took the helm at CUHK Medical Centre (CUHKMC) last year. Refusing to limit his own horizon, Dr Chung’s transition from frontline clinical practice to hospital administration — and now from the public system to the private sector — has given him a profound understanding of healthcare delivery.
At the heart of his management philosophy lies a drive to break deadlocks and spearhead change. By applying hospitality service standards and e-commerce customer experience models to hospital operations, he has not only driven revenue growth but also elevated expectations for private care. This empathetic shift in perspective echoes the classic insight that “true vision comes when both eyes see as one” — proving that only an open, cross-disciplinary mindset can unlock new possibilities in healthcare.
Uniting teams through professional governance
Dr Chung admits he was never a traditional “model student” — he studied purely out of interest. That changed in Form 4, when the tragic loss of a close family member to illness galvanised his resolve to pursue medicine. After graduating with distinction, he launched his medical career as a neurosurgeon at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, later joining Tuen Mun Hospital as a founding member of its newly formed Accident & Emergency (A&E) department.
Rising through the administrative ranks, Dr Chung served as Chief Executive at both North District Hospital and Prince of Wales Hospital, forging deep ties across New Territories communities. He modestly attributes this rapport to his duties, noting that his role simply gave him more opportunities to engage with local leaders: “It certainly taught me a great deal about communicating with diverse communities.” Whether debating policy in the Legislative Council, mingling with business executives, or sharing a warm toast with rural village elders, he values every connection. That effortless ability to bridge different worlds — to be as comfortable in a boardroom as at a local banquet — reflects years of mutual trust and support. For Dr Chung, authentic communication is the only way healthcare can truly serve every corner of society.
While external relations require adaptability and tact, leading within demands reason and respect for expertise. Managing a hospital means leading top-tier minds across diverse fields — a challenge Dr Chung meets by returning medical authority to domain experts, trusting the clinical judgment and frontline experience of his teams. Since becoming CEO at CUHKMC, he has refined its governance framework by appointing senior professors as department heads to jointly shape major decisions. This setup capitalises on the institutional prestige of a university teaching hospital while cultivating trust and collaboration between executive leadership and healthcare staff.
Borrowing best practices to reshape private healthcare
As CUHKMC marks its fifth anniversary, Dr Chung’s roadmap is clear and grounded: optimise operational performance to deliver high-quality care at accessible prices, demonstrating the true value of private healthcare. To realise this vision, he draws inspiration from beyond traditional clinical boundaries to elevate the patient journey. He sent staff for hospitality training at CUHK Business School’s teaching hotel, prompting them to view facilities and care through the eyes of a hotel guest. A subtle yet meaningful change — providing bath towels for inpatients — exemplifies this perspective shift. “Transparent pricing is merely the baseline; patients naturally expect thoughtful, attentive care,” Dr Chung observes. “Reasonable fees are not a reason to stand still. We must constantly push boundaries to refine every touchpoint.”
The hospital also adopted customer service practices from e-commerce platforms, upgrading to 24/7 human-operated phone lines and replacing social media chatbots with dedicated staff. “When even a late night purchase of a $50 item online comes with warm, responsive support, it sets the benchmark for modern service expectations,” Dr Chung explains. “Healthcare should strive for that same standard.”
These empathetic refinements have yielded tangible results in both reputation and financial standing. Looking beyond operational improvements, Dr Chung aims to transcend geographic boundaries by extending Hong Kong’s medical excellence into the Greater Bay Area. The hospital plans to explore deeper synergies with its sister institution, CUHK-Shenzhen Hospital, leveraging their complementary strengths.
