Hong Kong Hospital Authority Completes Healthcare Fee Reform to Enhance Patient Access and System Sustainability

Hospital Authority implements fees and charges reform rationalising healthcare services and enhancing patient protection

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

The Hospital Authority (HA) announced today (March 25) the completion of public healthcare fees and charges reform review and submission of policy recommendations to the Health Bureau. The proposals adhere to the principle that no person should be denied, through lack of means, from obtaining adequate medical treatment, aiming to strengthen healthcare protection, rationalise public hospital service subsidies, reduce wastage and misuse, and enhance the sustainability of the public healthcare system by reforming the public healthcare subsidy framework.

The Chairman of the HA, Mr Henry Fan, said, "We sincerely thank the Health Bureau for leading the HA in conducting this fees and charges reform review. Through this reform, the HA can promote the development of Hong Kong's public healthcare services. We believe that once the fees and charges reform measures are fully implemented, the current service imbalances in public hospitals can be gradually straightened out and the protection for patients, especially those with critical illnesses or emergency conditions, can be enhanced. This will enable sustainable development of public healthcare services to cope with the various challenges posed by Hong Kong's ageing population."

Currently, the government provides a high degree of subsidy for HA services, with a subsidy rate as high as 97.6 per cent, with the subsidy amount for some public hospital services even reaching 100 per cent. Beyond facing challenges from an ageing population creating excess demand, Hong Kong's public healthcare system experiences systemic imbalances, subsidy misallocations, and service waste. To ensure the sustainability of the public healthcare system, the HA initiated a review to reform public healthcare fees and charges last year, based on relevant principles including public affordability, optimal service utilisation, cost sharing, subsidy prioritisation, support for the underprivileged and public acceptance. The review covers the following areas:

Reforming the susidisation structure

systematically reforming the subsidisation structure to determine government subsidy levels and citizen copayment ratios across different public healthcare services, rationalising relative demand across inpatient, emergency, and outpatient services, to provide patients with appropriate medical services;

Reducing wastage and misuse

introducing copayment models for non-emergency diagnostic radiology and pathology examination services, adjusting standard drug fees and quantities to change the public's healthcare-seeking behavior and ensure limited medical resources can be precisely allocated to patients needed;

Strengthening healthcare protection

enhancing the medical fee waiving mechanism, relaxing the income and asset limit to significantly strengthen support for low-income families and underprivileged groups;

introducing a cap on annual spending of $10,000 for public healthcare services (excluding self-financed items) to better care for critically ill patients;

accelerating the introduction of more effective innovative drugs and devices and relaxing the eligibility criteria of means test for the safety net applications, so that more critically ill patients can receive subsidy for self-financed drugs and devices.

The Chief Executive of the HA, Dr Tony Ko, said, "The HA will fully implement the reform. Under the reform, subsidy ratios will vary by service type of public hospitals, depending on the nature of the service. After the reform, the public copayment ratio will remain affordable. Through the enhanced medical fee waiving mechanism, relaxed eligibility criteria of means test for Samaritan Fund safety net applications, and a cap on annual spending on inpatient and outpatient fees, the HA will continue to ensure that no one will be denied adequate medical care due to lack of means and will strengthen the protection of the public, not only taking care of the underprivileged groups, but also preventing middle income people from impoverishment due to illness."

After the implementation of measures such as enhancing medical fee waiving mechanism, relaxing eligibility criteria of means test for Samaritan Fund safety net applications, and establishing a cap on annual spending on inpatient and outpatient fees, over 1.4 million people are expected to be eligible for protection. The HA pledges that all additional revenue generated from fees and charges adjustments will be entirely utilised to medical services, particularly supporting those with critical conditions like cancer or rare diseases, waiving or reducing self-financed medications and devices or medical supplies fees. The HA can also accelerate the introduction of more effective new medications and devices to improve treatment outcomes.

The detailed fee schedule will take effect in January 2026 (see Annex). Details of enhanced protection measures, include enhancing medical fee waiving mechanism, introducing an annual fee cap on inpatients and outpatients of $10,000, and relaxing eligibility criteria of means test for Samaritan Fund safety net application, are provided in the appendix. The HA's last fee adjustment was in 2017.

Mr Fan stated that Hong Kong's public hospitals remain among the world's most efficient healthcare providers. The HA will continue promoting reforms to improve the service level of public hospitals, and ensure limited medical resources can be used for patients most in need. Once the public healthcare fees and charges reform achieves its target within five years, Hong Kong's public healthcare system will take a major step forward. The HA will also fully cooperate with other government healthcare reform measures to continue providing high-quality and sustainable medical services with appropriate healthcare protection for Hong Kong citizens.

Annex

Public healthcare fees and charges reform

Service

Current fee

Fees effective from January 1, 2026

Inpatient

(Acute bed)

Admission fee

$75

To cancel

Maintenance fee (per day)

$120

$300

Inpatient

(convalescent / rehabilitation, infirmary and psychiatric beds)

Maintenance fee (per day)

$100

$200

Day procedure and treatment

Admission fee

$75

To cancel

Maintenance fee (per day)

$120

$250

Day hospital

(Geriatric, rehabilitation)

$60 / $55

$100

Community nursing service,

Community allied health service

$80

$100

Community psychiatric nursing service

Free

Free

Psychiatric day hospital

$60

Free

Accident and emergency

$180

$400

(Fee exempted for Category I, II)

Specialist outpatient clinic (SOPC) (Include allied health clinic)

1st attendance

$135

$250

Subsequent

$80

Drug

$15 per unit,

16 weeks maximum

$20 per unit,

up to 4 weeks

Pathology testing service

(applicable for SOPC)

Basic

No additional charges

Free

Intermediate

$50

Advanced

$200

Non-emergency radiology imaging service

Basic

No additional charges

Free

Intermediate

$250

Advanced

$500

Family medicine outpatient service

Consultation

Family medicine outpatient service

$135 for the 1st attendance

$80 per

subsequent attendance

$150

$50 for general outpatient

Drug

Family medicine outpatient service

$15 per unit,

16 weeks maximum

$5 per unit,

up to 4 weeks

No additional charge for general outpatient

Dog Adoption Carnival 2026 to be held this weekend

The "Let's Go! The Pet Owners' Journey" Dog Adoption Carnival 2026, organised by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD), will be held at the Cyberport Arcade between 11am and 6pm this weekend (January 17 and 18). Admission is free. Members of the public are welcome to join the event with their dogs.

The Adoption Carnival aims to encourage members of the public who intend to keep pets, to adopt abandoned or unclaimed animals, as well as promote responsible pet ownership. The co-organisers of the Carnival include Cheung Chau Animal Care, HK Saving Cat and Dog Association, Lifelong Animal Protection Charity, Paws United Charity, Society for Abandoned Animals, Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and Team for Animals in Lantau South.

Members of the public can interact with dogs that are up for adoption at the Adoption Carnival. Dog keepers can apply for or renew licenses on site. The Carnival also features veterinary consultation services, a dog playground, a virtual reality gaming experience, game booths, an interactive educational exhibition, pet-themed handicraft workshops, as well as sharing sessions by representatives of animal welfare organisations (AWOs) and guest speakers. Participants are welcome to take part with their dogs. However, dogs entering the venue should be licensed (except for those to be licensed on-site), vaccinated against rabies, and microchipped. All dogs should also be kept under proper control.

The AFCD has been committed to encouraging members of the public who wish to keep pets to adopt abandoned or unclaimed animals through the AFCD's partnering AWOs. Upon receiving animals, the AFCD will transfer animals assessed by veterinarians as being in good health and suitable for adoption to partnering AWOs for adoption by members of the public. The AFCD provides free desexing operations for cats, dogs and rabbits adopted through partnering AWOs.

For details of the event, please visit the thematic website of the "Let's Go! The Pet Owners' Journey" Dog Adoption Carnival 2026 (www.petswithlove.com.hk).

Source: AI-found images