Standard X-rays to stay free despite fee overhaul at Hong Kong public hospitals

Standard X-ray services at Hong Kong’s public hospitals will remain free under a medical fee reform that will introduce charges for radiology procedures from next year, the Hospital Authority has announced.

But about 40 per cent of patients using computed tomography (CT) scans will be charged HK$500 (US$64) per examination.

Patients using non-urgent radiology services will also have to settle payments at least 14 days before their appointment date to secure their slots, with the authority hoping to reallocate unused appointments more efficiently to those with urgent needs.

“We wish our patients to co-pay part of the medical fee so that they will judiciously use our public resources,” said Dr Michael Wong Lap-gate, the authority’s quality and safety director.

At present, the government fully subsidises all radiology services at public hospitals. After the fee reform, it will still cover 90 per cent of the cost of radiological examinations, according to Wong.

From next year, non-urgent radiological services will be divided into three tiers: basic, intermediate and advanced.