Press Releases

HWFB explains fees and charges for public health care services

        On media follow-up questions on the fees and charges for public health care services, a spokesman for the Health, Welfare and Food Bureau today (January 21) gave the following response:

 

Charge for accident and emergency service (A&E)

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        On reports that the A&E service charge would be raised to $150, the spokesman said the charge was still under review and no final decision had been made.

 

        The spokesman said: "Our guiding principle for A&E service charge is to encourage non-urgent patients to see family doctors or to use non-emergency services.  Patients and doctors can then build up a more long-lasting relationship.  Doctors can grasp the medical history of the patients better and in return patients can get better care.

 

        "The aim of the charge revision is to bring A&E service charge closer to charges by private medical practitioners so that non-urgent patients can be driven to see nearby family doctors.  The figures of last year showed that non-urgent patients took up 78 per cent of the attendance in the A&E service.

 

        "We also hope the public will have a proper value of using A&E service and various public health care services.  At present, the subsidy level of public health care services by the Government public spending is 98 per cent and this gives rise to budget deficit faced by the Hospital Authority (HA).  Though many cost-cutting measures are in place, if the problem of budget deficit is not properly dealt with, the public health care system will be on the verge of bankruptcy.

 

        "Though the Chief Executive has pledged not to implement healthcare financing in his term of office, we cannot just sit back and not to proactively deal with the budget deficit of the HA.

 

        "Reviewing health care fees and charges is one of the many options to deal with HA's budget deficit.  In the long run, the Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food, Dr York Chow also opines to work out a framework from health care financing for public discussion."

 

Fees for in-patient beds

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        Concerning media reports suggesting that the fees for in-patient beds would be increased from the present $100 per day to about $300 to $500, the spokesman said the average operating cost for in-patient beds was $3,300, while tests such as x ray, scanning and blood test were also inclusive; therefore, the Government was subsidising over $3,000 for each bed every day. If a patient had to stay in a hospital for minor operation for four days, the subsidy would be over$ 10,000.

 

        For example, if a pregnant woman who needs to stay in the hospital for four day/three nights to give birth to a baby, she needs to pay only $450 (first day $150 with $50 charged for administration cost, and $100 for each subsequent day). The service cost is about $21,000. The subsidy on her is over $20,000.

 

        At the same time, the difference in fees between an acute in-patient bed ($100 a day) and a convalescent bed ($68 a day) is small but there is a huge difference in service cost (the 2004 service cost for acute beds is $4,100 a day while only $1,600 for convalescent beds). Therefore, there is a need to adjust the fees for the two services to encourage patients who are recovering to vacate the acute bed for those who are in need and move to a convalescent bed.

 

        The spokesman said: "In view of a tight financial situation and pressure on public resources, we hope the public can join us to give a serious thought to the future development of our public healthcare service.

 

        "Dr Chow has earlier talked in a public function the issue of positioning of the HA, together with the reduction in the ratio of government subsidies, setting the priority of service to the elderly, young children, the physically and mentally handicapped and those with acute illness, and the mapping out of the healthcare financing in the future, we have already started the initial work for resolving our health care financing problem.

 

        "We wish to reiterate that under the present healthcare policy, those who have been enjoying fee exemption and waiver, including the low earnings, recipients of Comprehensive Social Security Assistance Scheme and those with acute illness, will not be affected by our future fee adjustments. The level of increase will be carefully examined to take into account the affordability of the middle class."

 

Ends/Friday, January 21, 2005

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