Hong Kong set to add hospital charges but also widen safety net for neediest

Patients with non-urgent medical needs could soon be paying separate charges for lab tests, scans and other specific services at public hospitals as part of “significant” reforms to Hong Kong’s healthcare subsidy model, the Post has learned.

A source said on Thursday the fee shake-up, to be announced in the coming weeks, would also entail widening the healthcare safety net to better support the neediest patients who were paying tens or sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars to treat cancer and rare diseases.

“Without structural reform, our healthcare system will be unsustainable. It’s not only about money but also about our manpower and treatment resources – they will all collapse when the limited supply is met by unlimited demand,” the insider said.

“Authorities also hope that, after the reform, some middle-class patients suffering from severe illnesses but who do not qualify for assistance will not need to sell their property to cover their medical costs.”

The government covers almost 98 per cent of the cost of public healthcare services, a subsidy level that is among the highest of any developed economy and deemed “unsustainable” by authorities.

While the payment structure is reviewed every other year, fees were last increased in 2017. The charge for a visit to the accident and emergency department rose from HK$100 (US$12.87) to HK$180, the fee for a visit to a general outpatient clinic increased from HK$45 to HK$50 and the cost of 16-week supply of prescription medication at specialist outpatient clinics climbed from HK$10 to HK$15.