New fee arrangement starts for A&E patients

已複製連結

Public hospitals implemented new fees starting New Year's Day, charging HK$400 for non-critical patients seeking treatment at the Accident and Emergency Department.

The Hospital Authority said initial operations were generally smooth, with nine people entering the Accident and Emergency Department at midnight, who were leniently charged the old price.

At midnight, staff at Kwong Wah Hospital held up signs reminding citizens entering the Accident and Emergency Department that the new fee of HK$400 was effective immediately.

Immediately afterwards, a citizen entered, and the Hospital Authority decided to leniently charge the old price of HK$180.
 
Some people accompanying patients said the new fees are expensive and hoped to receive a reduction.

Hospital Authority Chief Executive Dr Libby Lee said so far, they have received 35,000 applications for medical fee reductions.

Dr Lee said the goal of the fee reform is to ensure that medical resources are more effectively allocated to patients who need them. She hope that this mechanism will ensure that resources are used for patients who are poor, in urgent need, seriously ill, or critically ill.

She said she would closely monitor the data to see if the new fees have achieved their goals.