Hong Kong public hospital pricing reform slashes less urgent A&E visits by 24%

Hong Kong’s health minister has revealed that the number of less urgent patients seeking treatment at public hospital accident and emergency (A&E) departments has dropped by 24 per cent in the first 10 days of a new pricing regime.

Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau also said in a television interview on Saturday that authorities had so far approved 60,000 people for fee waivers, with about 80 per cent processed on the same day of application.

Under a public hospital fee overhaul implemented on January 1, authorities waived charges for critical and emergency cases – the most serious tiers of the five-level triage system – but fees for “urgent”, “semi-urgent” or “non-urgent cases” were raised from HK$180 (US$23) to HK$400.

Lo said that in the first 10 days of the fee adjustment, the total number of patients visiting A&E had dropped by nearly 12 per cent compared with the same period last year, with those deemed “semi-urgent” and “non-urgent” falling by 24 per cent.

The minister said the 24 per cent drop was a “fairly high” figure and that most patients in these categories had mild conditions, such as colds, dizziness and minor wounds.

“The fee reform has brought about a guiding role. We believe that in some cases, once patients assess the situation, they will not need to go to the accident and emergency services and can find other alternative avenues,” he said.

The new public medical fee regime had also relaxed income and asset limits for waivers, helping an additional 1.1 million Hongkongers qualify for aid, on top of the original 300,000 people.