Health Bureau and Hospital Authority Brief Public on Healthcare Fees Reform Measures

Health Bureau and Hospital Authority jointly organise first District Council briefing on fees and charges reform for public healthcare

The Health Bureau (HHB), together with the Hospital Authority (HA), organised the first District Council (DC) briefing on fees and charges reform for public healthcare today (April 29) to explain the details of the fees and charges reform for public healthcare, particularly the measures for enhancing patient protection, to over 200 DC members and local community members.

The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, said, "The fees and charges reform for public healthcare aims to enhance healthcare protection for 'poor, acute, serious, critical' patients, rationalise the subsidy levels of public hospital services, and reduce wastage and abuse, while enhancing the sustainability of the public healthcare system. Through this briefing, we hope to elaborate details of the reform to DC members, and leverage the role of DC as a bridge to help members of the public better understand that the reform is pursued for their benefits."

The Deputising Chief Executive of the HA, Dr Simon Tang, highlighted the three key measures for strengthening healthcare protection, namely, enhancing the medical fee waiver mechanism, introducing an annual cap of $10,000 for public healthcare fees and charges, and optimising the application and subsidisation of innovative drugs and medical devices. He said, "The HA will streamline the application procedures for the medical fee waiver and safety net to ensure the smooth implementation of the reform."

Since the announcement of the fees and charges reform for public healthcare, the HHB and the HA have been explaining the reform to the Legislative Council, members of the public, and stakeholders of various sectors, and have produced various information packs, short videos and promotional materials to help the public understand the new healthcare protection measures. In particular, the HA website and the HA mobile app "HA Go" have launched a means test calculator, where users only need to input their information, such as household income and assets, for a preliminary assessment of their eligibility for the enhanced medical fee waiver and the Samaritan Fund.

The new fees and charges for public healthcare will take effect on January 1 next year. The HHB and the HA will organise another DC briefing next week and will continue to actively explain the details to members of the public.

Health Bureau and Hospital Authority jointly organise first District Council briefing on fees and charges reform for public healthcare Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Health Bureau and Hospital Authority jointly organise first District Council briefing on fees and charges reform for public healthcare Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Health Bureau and Hospital Authority jointly organise first District Council briefing on fees and charges reform for public healthcare Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Health Bureau and Hospital Authority jointly organise first District Council briefing on fees and charges reform for public healthcare Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Health Bureau and Hospital Authority jointly organise first District Council briefing on fees and charges reform for public healthcare Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Health Bureau and Hospital Authority jointly organise first District Council briefing on fees and charges reform for public healthcare Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Motorists should heed special traffic arrangements during smart motorway operational test at Ting Kau Bridge southbound at noon on June 21 (with photos/video)

The Transport Department (TD) today (June 14) announced that a smart motorway operational test will be conducted at the road section of Ting Kau Bridge southbound (Tsing Yi bound) at noon on June 21 (Saturday) for about 15 minutes.

During the test, the fast lane of Ting Kau Bridge southbound will be temporarily closed while the hard shoulder will be open for traffic for the first time. The speed limit will also be reduced to 50 km/h accordingly at the above road section. The TD reminds motorists to pay heed to the lane control signals and speed limits on site when passing through the road section at the above time, and follow the instructions for safe driving.

The trial of the Smart Motorway Pilot Scheme at Ting Kau Bridge southbound launched from December 29, 2024 has been operating smoothly to date. With the application of artificial intelligence technologies, the newly installed Automatic Incident Detection System effectively assists operation staff of the Tsing Ma Control Area in detecting and handling traffic incidents more expeditiously, allowing traffic to resume normal as soon as possible.

As of end-May 2025, the System has effectively detected a total of 16 traffic incidents occurred at the road section within a short time, most of which were minor traffic accidents. Among them, 11 incidents were detected within 10 seconds and immediate alerts were issued to operation staff for follow-up. Compared to the past where operation staff mainly relied on regular CCTV checks to identify traffic incidents, the detection time has now been significantly reduced by nearly 90 per cent, raising the efficiency and capability to respond to incidents.

A spokesman for the TD said, "To further evaluate the effectiveness of the Pilot Scheme, we will conduct the operational test at noon on June 21, 2025 to assess motorists' compliance with the control signals and their proper use of the hard shoulder, and collect relevant operational data as reference for optimising the Pilot Scheme and formulating the implementation strategy of smart motorways in future."

The TD will continue to monitor the Pilot Scheme in collaboration with relevant departments, and make suitable refinements to the System and operational arrangements with regard to actual circumstances to ensure road safety and safe motoring.

Motorists should heed special traffic arrangements during smart motorway operational test at Ting Kau Bridge southbound at noon on June 21 (with photos/video) Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Motorists should heed special traffic arrangements during smart motorway operational test at Ting Kau Bridge southbound at noon on June 21 (with photos/video) Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases