Frivolous 999 calls may lead to user fees, official says
The government does not rule out the possibility of charging for ambulance calls if more cases of abuse of the service come to light, a Security Bureau official said yesterday.
The bureau yesterday proposed a three-level mechanism for grading the urgency of ambulance calls, saying more public education would be provided in coming years to avoid frivolous trips.
Hospital Authority accident and emergency staff said this year that more than 40 per cent of ambulance trips were unnecessary, while the Fire Services Department says the figure is 22 per cent.
The government estimates that under the new mechanism, about 50 per cent of all emergency calls for ambulances would be listed in the most critical response one category; 30 per cent would be response two and 20 per cent response three.
'We do not rule out the possibility of thinking about measures [to avoid abuse of ambulance services], for example charging [for ambulance service], and we welcome the public to express their views on this,' Deputy Secretary for Security Carol Yuen Siu-wai said yesterday.
Details on user fees charged by overseas ambulance services are listed in the consultation paper released yesterday. Ambulance services are free in London and Tokyo, for example, but in San Francisco and Melbourne they cost the equivalent of HK$1,000.
Lawmaker James To Kun-sun, vice-chairman of the Legislative Council's security panel, said the government's 'ultimate aim on ambulance services is to introduce a charging mechanism even if it is not set out in this consultation paper'. The public would try to find ways around the proposed dispatching system, to get rapid ambulance service when they think they need it, Mr To warned.
If the number of most urgent, response-one calls became excessive, the government may not be able to fund the service and would adopt fees, he said.
Tim Pang Hung-cheong, spokesman for the Patients Rights Association, also worries that the government will try to introduce ambulance fees if the number of urgent calls under the proposed grading mechanism is larger than expected.
'Penalties and fines can be introduced to deter abuse of ambulance services instead of a charging system. The poor will really suffer if charges are introduced,' Mr Pang said.
