Hong Kong private patients to pay HK$7,000 for Covid-19 drugs as free supply ends

Patients requiring Covid-19 oral antiviral drugs from private doctors in Hong Kong will have to pay about HK$7,000 (US$892) for a course of treatment, with the government saying it will stop providing the medication for free as the pandemic has subsided.

The Centre for Health Protection said on Thursday that the provision of free drugs would be discontinued on July 29. The arrangement, in effect since April 2022, has led to about 200,000 treatment courses being prescribed for free by private doctors as of June 30.

While some doctors said it was a timely change of policy, some warned the move could place a burden on the public healthcare system.

“I’m quite sure that those immunocompromised and the elderly will delay receiving the treatment and join the long waiting queue in emergency departments or general outpatient clinics,” infectious disease specialist Dr Joseph Tsang Kay-yan said, referring to demand at public hospitals.

“Will there be more serious cases for the elderly, the immunocompromised or those with chronic medical illness?”

He warned that the surging demand for public hospital services could happen when the next Covid-19 wave hits six to nine months later.

Under the new arrangement, private doctors who intend to continue providing the drugs must order them directly from drug dealers and can charge patients for the medication.