Public hospitals in Hong Kong will implement new charges starting from January 1, with Accident and Emergency (A&E) fees more than doubling from HK$180 to HK$400.
The new measures, first announced in March, aim to promote the “sustainable development” of the city’s public healthcare system to cope with challenges posed by an ageing population, the Hospital Authority (HA) said in a statement on Monday.
Starting on Thursday, multiple services offered by the HA across its hospitals and clinics will see fee increases. The new A&E charges applies to patients classified as “urgent,” “semi-urgent,” or “non-urgent.” Those categorised as “critical” or “emergency” – who require immediate medical attention or should be attended to within 15 minutes – will receive a waiver.
Patients attending general outpatient clinics will see fees triple from HK$50 per visit to HK$150, while charges for specialist outpatient clinics will nearly double, from HK$135 to HK$250.
An inpatient bed, which currently costs HK$120 per day, will also go up in price, with new daily rates ranging between HK$200 and HK$300 depending on the type of treatment.
Community nursing, basic pathology, and basic non-urgent radiology services will remain free. Psychiatric day hospitals, which currently charge HK$60 per visit, will also become free of charge starting Thursday.
“We believe that once the measures of fees and charges reform are fully implemented, the current service imbalances in public hospitals can be gradually straightened out and the protection for patients, especially those who are poor, acute, serious or critical, can be enhanced,” HA chairman Henry Fan said.
On Monday, the HA stated that its medical fee waiver mechanism would be enhanced following the implementation of the new pricing system. An annual spending cap will be introduced for patients who spend more than HK$10,000 a year; fees exceeding this amount will be covered by the government, though self-financed items are excluded.
The HA will also relax the eligibility criteria for applicants to the Samaritan Fund, a financial aid programme targeting means-tested patients with specific clinical needs.
“The enhanced protection is not only taking care of the underprivileged groups, but also preventing middle income people from impoverishment due to illness,” the HA said.
Public hospitals will continue to offer full medical fee waivers to low-income residents on welfare schemes such as Comprehensive Social Security Assistance and the Old Age Living Allowance. Approximately two million people are expected to benefit from these enhanced patient protection measures, the HA said.
‘Belated’ reform
In March, Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau said the existing healthcare subsidy system – where the government covers over 97 per cent of public healthcare expenses – was not sustainable.
He described the reform as “belated and necessary,” aimed at prioritising resources for the underprivileged and reducing waste and abuse.
The HA currently manages 43 hospitals and institutions, 49 specialist out-patient clinics , and 75 family medicine clinics. Between April 2024 and March this year, around 2.02 million visits to the A&E were recorded.
Original source: HK