Hong Kong public hospitals will offer flexibility when charging patients at accident and emergency (A&E) departments to smooth the transition to the new healthcare payment arrangements taking effect on January 1.
Under the new policy, only patients classified as critical or emergency will receive free treatment. Those deemed urgent, semi-urgent or non-urgent will be charged HK$400, compared with the current HK$180 fee.
The Hospital Authority said on Tuesday that people who leave public hospital emergency departments before receiving a consultation would still need to pay HK$50 (US$7) for triage and nursing procedures, even if they apply to have their initial fee refunded.
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Dr Eddie Yuen Cheuk-pun, the authority’s infection, emergency and contingency chief manager, said hospitals would deploy extra staff on December 31 and January 1 to handle potential scenarios, such as an increased number of patients and last-minute arrivals before the new charges came into effect.
“We certainly understand that some patients may not be able to arrive on time, or they are arriving in the vicinity. We will handle them flexibly,” he said.
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Yuen said that flexibility could be offered to patients being registered after midnight due to longer registration times, as well as those arriving within the first few minutes of January 1.
