Legislators and concern groups yesterday denounced the government for exaggerating the problem of hospital overstayers when Hospital Authority figures showed 104 patients had stayed at least three months longer than necessary.
They instead called on the Hospital Authority to improve its discharge system.
A Hospital Authority survey last month found 104 patients in public hospitals who refused to leave at least three months after being assessed to be clinically able to do so.
They comprised 59 under 60 and 45 over 60, according to a government paper presented to a joint meeting of the Legislative Council panels on health and welfare services.
Twenty-nine of the overstayers were on welfare. Half of the patients or family members felt they were not medically ready to be discharged or gave financial and other considerations, while 35 were concerned about continuation of self-care at home.
Deputations from 15 associations made submissions to yesterday's meeting, with many saying it was unfair for the government to single out overstaying patients as a reason for long waiting lists at hospitals.
'I do not think we should exaggerate the gravity of the problem,' the vice-president of the Geriatrics Society, Felix Chan Hon-wai, said.
