The Hospital Authority should not use its budgetary problems as an excuse to increase public hospital charges, sack staff or cut wages, legislators said yesterday.
At a Legco health services panel meeting, most lawmakers said the authority's deficit was insignificant and would not affect its ability to provide quality health care.
The authority recorded a $200 million budget deficit last year, which is projected to rise to $580 million this financial year.
'The authority's deficit is not that big or serious, it is only a problem of how to redistribute resources,' Democrat Yeung Sum said. 'Don't you dare use it as an excuse to raise medical charges.'
He said Hong Kong should be proud of its health system, which did not turn the needy away.
The authority has said that although the deficit will not increase pressure to change medical charges at public hospitals, a fee of $150 to $200 for using the emergency room service could be introduced in September.
Mr Yeung's colleague, Law Chi-kwong, said this year's predicted deficit - which amounts to 1.9 per cent of the authority's annual spending - was enormous. However, he said it would be offset by the body's promise to cut two per cent of expenditure under its productivity enhancement programme.
