Medical / clinic visit — who pays

Problem

A clinic bill lands and it is unclear whether EC insurance, a private medical policy, or the household wallet pays. Forum tips blur work injury (Employees’ Compensation Ordinance) with ordinary illness (SEC Clause 9(a)). Missing the SEC duty can mean a Labour Department complaint or a civil claim; missing an ECO report window leaves you and the helper without the statutory path.

Steps

1. Know the SEC free-medical duty (Clause 9(a)). If the FDH is ill or suffers personal injury during the period of employment — regardless of whether it arises out of employment — you shall provide free medical treatment. The stated exception is the period during which the FDH leaves Hong Kong of his/her own volition and for his/her own personal purposes. Verified — LD insurance leaflet; Handy Guide §3.6.1; Employment handbook §4.5.1; FDH Portal employer corner; LD FAQ Q27.
2. What “free medical treatment” includes (SEC wording). Official materials list: medical consultation, maintenance in hospital, and emergency dental treatment. That is the SEC package — not an open-ended private-practice menu. Routine elective dental, optics, or cosmetic care is not spelled out as included in those LD/ImmD summaries. Verified (listed items) — same sources. Unverified (anything beyond those three categories).
3. You arrange the registered practitioner; the helper accepts that treatment. The FDH shall accept medical treatment by any registered medical practitioner as provided by the employer. Official text does not publish a private-clinic pricing schedule or a “helper picks any doctor” rule — so do not invent one. Keep copies of medical records the helper provides. Verified — LD insurance leaflet; Handy Guide §3.6.1.
4. Separate EC insurance (work injury) from SEC medical (illness / non-work injury). Employees’ compensation insurance under the ECO covers your liabilities for injuries at work (and related ECO medical expenses / compensation). ImmD’s SEC notes state that liability to provide free medical treatment for illness or personal injury not attributable to employment is normally not covered by a Part IV ECO policy — so LD/ImmD advise suitable medical (or comprehensive FDH) insurance on top. Verified — ImmD SEC Clause 9 explanatory notes; LD FAQ Q27; Handy Guide §3.6.2; LD insurance leaflet.
5. If it looks like a work injury: report + claim path. Notify the Commissioner for Labour within 14 days of the accident (7 days if fatal), notify your insurer as the policy requires, keep receipts and certificates, and do not terminate the contract of an injured FDH before the Certificate of Compensation Assessment / settlement path allows. ECO medical-expense rules (including daily maxima where free treatment was not otherwise provided) sit beside — not instead of — SEC Clause 9(a). Verified — LD FAQ Q7; Handy Guide §3.5 / work-injury sections; Practical Guide / ECO materials.
6. Pay / keep receipts for SEC-covered treatment. Employer pays medical expenses that fall under the Clause 9(a) duty. If you fail to provide free medical treatment as stipulated, the FDH may approach the Labour Department for assistance or lodge a civil claim. Keep invoices, discharge summaries, and claim correspondence. Where you hold medical insurance, follow the insurer’s claim path promptly. Verified — LD insurance leaflet (failure → LD / civil claim); Handy Guide §3.6.2.
7. Sick leave / sickness allowance is separate from who pays the clinic. Under the Employment Ordinance, sickness allowance (generally four-fifths of average daily wages) applies when leave is not less than four consecutive days, the helper has accumulated enough paid sickness days, and an appropriate medical certificate supports the leave — paid on the normal pay day. Even when sickness allowance does not apply (e.g. fewer than four consecutive days), LD says allow rest for recovery and do not ask the helper to work while on sick leave. Do not dismiss an FDH who is on paid sick leave (except summary dismissal for serious misconduct). Verified — Handy Guide §3.6.3; ImmD SEC EO essentials (sickness allowance).
8. Know where to ask. Labour Department FDH hotline 2717 1771 (handled by 1823); website fdh.labour.gov.hk — employer corner and FAQ. Work-injury specifics: Employees’ Compensation Division. Verified — LD insurance leaflet; FDH Portal employer corner.

Clinic / illness hygiene checklist

• SEC Clause 9(a) applies in HK during employment (illness or injury — work-related or not)
• Exception noted: helper left HK of own volition for personal purposes
• Covered package per official text: consultation + hospital maintenance + emergency dental
• You arrange a registered medical practitioner; helper accepts that treatment
• EC insurance on file for work injuries; medical / comprehensive cover considered for SEC medical bills
• Receipts, certificates, discharge notes kept; insurer notified if a policy applies
• If work injury: LD notified within 14 days (7 if fatal) + insurer path started
• Sick leave: medical certificate on file; sickness allowance rules checked; no work while on sick leave
• LD hotline 2717 1771 / fdh.labour.gov.hk bookmarked

Sources

• Verified — Labour Department leaflet: Tips for Employers of FDHs — EC insurance and free medical treatment (PDF). Checked 20 Oct 2026.
• Verified — LD Handy Guide for Employers of FDHs (2026) (§3.6.1 free medical; §3.6.2 medical insurance; §3.6.3 sick leave / sickness allowance)
• Verified — LD Employment handbook for FDHs (2026) (§4.5.1 free medical treatment — Clause 9(a))
• Verified — LD FDH FAQ Q27 (EC insurance compulsory; Clause 9(a) free medical list; encourage comprehensive cover)
• Verified — LD FDH Portal — employer corner (Medical Treatment paragraph; EC insurance; hotline)
• Verified — ImmD — SEC terms / Clause 9 notes (ECO Part IV insurance normally does not cover non-employment illness medical duty; take out comprehensive cover)
• Verified — LD FDH FAQ Q7 (work injuries: notify LD within 14 / 7 days)

FAQ