On March 25, the government announced a reform plan for public healthcare fees, raising the emergency room charge for non-critical or non-emergency patients to HK$400. In a radio program today (March 26), the Chief Executive of the Hospital Authority, Ko Pat-sing, stated that currently, non-urgent cases account for 60% of emergency room visits.
"The new plan has been implemented to better reflect the true function of emergency rooms, which is to care for critically ill patients."
He emphasized that the existing exemption mechanism protects citizens facing financial difficulties and believes the new fees will not burden the public. Citizens in need can apply for exemptions through a mobile app.
Regarding the exemption only for "critical" or patients in "emergency," Ko explained that the emergency room can clearly triage patients into these two categories, while distinguishing between third ("urgent") and fourth ("semi-urgent") cases is more challenging. He believes the new arrangement will be easier to operate and will reduce disputes.
"Before implementing the new fees, the authority will continue to listen to feedback and provide explanations," he said.
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