HA announces application arrangements under enhanced medical fee waiving mechanism
The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:
The Hospital Authority (HA) announced today (October 31) the application arrangements under the enhanced medical fee waiving mechanism. Patients with appointments at public hospitals next year can submit advance applications for medical fee waivers in phases starting from November 2025. Additionally, the HA will implement special transitional arrangements from January to March next year to facilitate applications from persons in need. The HA has established dedicated teams to assist patients with fee waiver applications.
AnHA spokesperson said, "As the public healthcare fees and charges reform takes effect on January 1 next year, the HA will simultaneously introduce a series of strengthened protection measures, including enhancing the current medical fee waiver mechanism, which will increase the number of eligible beneficiaries from 300 000 to 1.4 million."
To handle the additional fee waiver applications, the HA will implement special transitional arrangements during the transition period from January to March next year to ensure timely processing of applications:
Patients with appointments at public hospitals in January or February next year can submit required documentation two months in advance (i.e.in November or December 2025). Applications will be pre-assessed, and eligible patients will receive medical fee waiver certificates before their follow-up appointments after the Reform takes effect on January 1; and
Patients requiring immediate or urgent treatment, who cannot afford medical expenses at the public sector but cannot provide complete documentation for financial assessment, will be granted "conditional waivers"for full or partial medical fees. Eligible patients need only submit relevant documents within three months to receive official medical fee waiver certificates upon passing the assessment.
Meanwhile, patients currently holding medical fee waiver certificates (full or partial) can continue using them until expiry without reapplication. Patients with partial fee waiver certificates who qualify for full waivers under the enhanced mechanism can obtain full waivers by declaring no significant change in financial status at Medical Social Services Units (MSSU) three months before appointments or within three months after hospitalisation, without requiring reassessment. The validity will be the same as the original certificate's expiry date.
As an important part of the public healthcare fees and charges reform, the medical fee waiver thresholds will be relaxed from January 1 next year. The income limit will be raised to 100 per cent of the median monthly household income (MMDHI) (for households with two or more persons) or 150 per cent of MMDHI (for single-person households), while the asset limit will be relaxed to that of the public rental housing application. Furthermore, the application procedures and coverage will be enhanced to facilitate public access, including relaxing the definition of "household" so that family members without close financial ties to the applicant may be excluded from means testing; expanding the coverage of periodic medical fee waivers to include episodic Family Medicine Out-patient Services; extending the maximum waiver validity period from 12 months to 18 months; and allowing patients to simply sign a declaration confirming unchanged financial status for reapplication within 18 months without resubmitting financial documents.
Patients can apply for medical fee waivers at MSSU in public hospitals or clinics, as well as the Social Welfare Department's Integrated Family Service Centres, Family and Child Protective Services Units, or other designated service units. Members of the public can also learn about application procedures through the HA's mobile application "HA Go" by accessing the "Medical Fee Assistance Domain" and preliminarily assess their eligibility through the Means Test Calculator (applicable for applications from January 1, 2026) via "HA Go" or the HA website(ewsecal.ha.org.hk/calculator/index.html?lang=en).
The HA will utilise confirmed means test eligibility under social welfare and other government-subsidised schemes as a reference for processing fee waiver applications, aiming to make arrangements and procedures as clear and simple as possible for the public. The HA will also gradually digitalise the assessment process, allowing applicants to check application status and upload documents through the HA Go mobile application by the end of this year, with the goal of enabling online applications by the third quarter of next year.
The spokesperson added, "The HA has established dedicated teams starting from November to ensure timely processing of medical fee waiver applications received by all public hospitals."
Additionally, after the public healthcare fees and charges reform takes effect in January next year, Tung Wah Group of Hospitals will continue its mission of providing free outpatient services to those in need. Eligible persons seeking outpatient services at Tung Wah Eastern Hospital, Tung Wah Hospital, and Kwong Wah Hospital will continue to be exempted from the following fees:
Attendance and prescription fees at Family Medicine Clinics (excluding integrated clinics) (applicable to all Eligible Persons)
Attendance fee at Specialist Outpatient Clinics (excluding integrated clinics and allied health clinics) (applicable only to Eligible Persons aged 75 or above, or aged 12 or below)
Furthermore, the HA has gazetted today the fee revisions for Non-eligible Persons, non-subsidised services at public hospitals, and remaining items of public healthcare services, which will take effect from January 1, 2026. Charges for Non-eligible Persons will be adjusted based on the 2023-24 service cost levels, while fees for non-subsidised services will be adjusted based on cost recovery principles, with reference to market rates. These services will not be subsidised by public funding. The HA will also adjust certain hospital administrative fees (such as certificates and medical reports, photocopying charges, and mortuary). The HA's new fee arrangements are listed in the Annex.
Source: AI-found images
Seven persons arrested during anti-illegal worker operation
The Immigration Department (ImmD) mounted an anti-illegal worker operation codenamed "Contribute" today (January 15).During the operation, ImmD Task Force officers raided premises under renovation in a newly built public housing estate in Sheung Shui district.A total of six suspected illegal workers and one suspected employer were arrested. Thearrested suspected illegal workers comprise six men, aged 22 to 41. Furthermore, one man, aged 45, suspected of employing the illegal workers, was also arrested. An investigation into the suspected employers is ongoing, and the possibility of further arrests is not ruled out.
Apart from mounting the enforcement operation, ImmD officers and a promotional vehicle have been deployed to distribute "Don't Employ Illegal Workers" leaflets and convey the message in the estate.
An ImmD spokesman said, "Any person who contravenes a condition of stay in force in respect of him or her shall be guilty of an offence. Also, visitors are not allowed to take employment in Hong Kong, whether paid or unpaid, without the permission of the Director of Immigration. Offenders are liable to prosecution and upon conviction face a maximum fine of $50,000 and up to two years' imprisonment. Aiders and abettors are also liable to prosecution and penalties."
The spokesman stressed that it is a serious offence to employ people who are not lawfully employable. Under the Immigration Ordinance, the maximum penalty for an employer employing a person who is not lawfully employable, i.e. an illegal immigrant, a person who is the subject of a removal order or a deportation order, an overstayer or a person who was refused permission to land, has been significantly increased from a fine of $350,000 and three years' imprisonment to a fine of $500,000 and 10 years' imprisonment to reflect the gravity of such offences. The director, manager, secretary, partner, etc, of the company concerned may also bear criminal liability. The High Court has laid down sentencing guidelines that the employer of an illegal worker should be given an immediate custodial sentence.
According to the court sentencing, employers must take all practicable steps to determine whether a person is lawfully employable prior to employment. Apart from inspecting a prospective employee's identity card, the employer has the explicit duty to make enquiries regarding the person and ensure that the answers would not cast any reasonable doubt concerning the lawful employability of the person. The court will not accept failure to do so as a defence in proceedings. It is also an offence if an employer fails to inspect the job seeker's valid travel document if the job seeker does not have a Hong Kong permanent identity card. Offenders are liable upon conviction to a maximum fine of $150,000 and to imprisonment for one year. In that connection, the spokesman would like to remind all employers not to defy the law by employing illegal workers. The ImmD will continue to take resolute enforcement action to combat such offences.
Under the existing mechanism, the ImmD will, as a standard procedure, conduct an initial screening of vulnerable persons, including illegal workers, illegal immigrants, sex workers and foreign domestic helpers, who are arrested during any operation with a view to ascertaining whether they are trafficking in persons (TIP) and/or forced labour victims. When any TIP and/or forced labour indicator is revealed in the initial screening, the ImmD officers will conduct a full debriefing and identification by using a standardised checklist to ascertain the presence of TIP and/or forced labour elements. Identified TIP and/or forced labour victims will be provided with various forms of support and assistance, including urgent intervention, medical services, counselling, shelter or temporary accommodation and other supporting services. The ImmD calls on TIP and/or forced labour victims to report crimes to the relevant departments immediately.
For reporting illegal employment activities, please call the dedicated hotline 3861 5000, by fax at 2824 1166, email to anti_crime@immd.gov.hk, or submit "Online Reporting of Immigration Offences" form at www.immd.gov.hk.
Seven persons arrested during anti-illegal worker operation Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Seven persons arrested during anti-illegal worker operation Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
