Replies to LegCo questions
LCQ15: Medical fee waiver mechanism
Following is a question by the Hon Emily Lau and a written reply by the
Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food, Dr York Chow, in the Legislative Council
today (May 4):
Question:
In April 2003, the fees for medical services provided by public hospitals were
adjusted upwards, together with enhancement of the Medical Fee Waiver Mechanism,
under which public hospital patients who could not afford the medical fees may
apply to the medical social workers (MSWs) stationed in the hospitals for waiver
of fees. In this connection, will the Executive Authorities inform this Council:
(a) of the total amount of medical fees waived since April 2003;
(b) whether guidelines on the execution of the waiver mechanism have been issued
to MSWs; if so, of the contents of such guidelines;
(c) of the measures in place to monitor the execution of the waiver mechanism by
MSWs; and
(d) of the appeal channels available to patients whose applications have been
rejected?
Reply:
Madam President,
(a) The total amount of medical fees and charges waived by the Hospital
Authority (HA) since April 2003 is $1,033 million.
(b) Medical social workers (MSWs) are given clear guidelines for the assessment
of waiver applications.
According to the guidelines, all recipients of Comprehensive Social Security
Assistance (CSSA) are given waivers for their medical fees and charges at public
hospitals and clinics.
For non-CSSA recipients, the guidelines provide for a set of assessment
criteria, which are given in the
Annex. There are financial and non-financial criteria. Applicants who
satisfy both the income and asset criteria are eligible for a waiver. Applicants
who do not may still apply, and MSWs will assess their applications taking into
account the non-financial criteria and the special needs of the elderly and
patients with chronic illness.
(c) The head of the MSW team in each public hospital is responsible for ensuring
compliance of the assessment guidelines by MSWs through, for example, regular
reviews of case records. In addition, waiver applications exceeding the amount
of $7,000 have to be endorsed by the head of the MSW team and approved by the
Hospital Chief Executive.
(d) Applicants may appeal to the hospital against the decision of MSWs. If an
applicant is not satisfied with the decision of the hospital, he / she may
further appeal to the Public Complaints Committee of the HA.
Ends/Wednesday, May 4, 2005
NNNN