More than 1,000 daily inquiries for Hong Kong’s new medical fee waiver scheme

Hong Kong’s public hospitals have received more than 1,000 inquiries daily since applications for new medical fee waivers opened last Monday, authorities have revealed.

Hospital Authority chief executive Dr Libby Lee Ha-yun said in a television interview on Sunday that more than 100 applications had already been submitted. An additional 1.1 million people will be eligible for fee waivers under a revamp of the public healthcare subsidy scheme that takes effect on January 1 next year.

The reform is part of the government’s effort to address structural imbalances in the healthcare system, where patients are heavily subsidised regardless of their health or financial condition.

It is expected to provide better support for “poor, acute, serious and critical” patients by requiring those with milder conditions and greater means to pay more.

The new fee waiver mechanism, announced on October 31, will make 1.4 million people eligible for cheaper or free healthcare, with relaxed income and asset limits. Currently, only 300,000 people qualify for the benefit.

The income threshold will rise from the current 75 per cent of the median monthly domestic income to 100 per cent for households with two or more members. The limit for one-person households will double to 150 per cent of the median.

The validity period for waivers will also be extended from 12 to 18 months.