A charge for using hospital emergency rooms will definitely go ahead, the Secretary for Health and Welfare, Yeoh Eng-kiong, has told legislators.
But Dr Yeoh refused to confirm whether the charge would be between $100 and $150 per visit as proposed earlier, saying only that a decision would be announced after the Government published a consultancy report in March. Speaking at a meeting of the Legco health and welfare panel yesterday, Dr Yeoh said imposing a fee was the only way to deter patients from abusing emergency services.
'The emergency room service charge is a thing that will definitely be done no matter what,' he said. 'The problem is how high the fee will be and under what circumstances it will be charged.'
According to government figures for the year so far, of every 1,000 patients treated by the Hospital Authority 350 were treated in emergency departments. This compares with 200 per 1,000 in 1991. On average, 75 per cent of those treated in emergency departments this year were classified non-emergency patients.
Dr Yeoh said abuse of the system had drained resources and affected emergency services. At present, treatment at hospital emergency departments is free, but there is a charge for out-patient services.
Dr Yeoh added: 'Our focus will be on how to help low-income groups and to channel resources to high-risk treatment items.'
He said a decision would be made after the completion of the study and that there would be exemptions for the poor.
