For patients at public outpatient clinics, a five-minute consultation with a doctor can mean a half-day expedition, including travelling time, lining up to register, waiting to be called, paying and picking up medication.
But some public hospitals are using their own innovative measures to cut waiting time, which can add up to three to four hours.
Some have streamlined their procedures, while others have increased staff levels to clear the backlog. At Castle Peak Hospital in Tuen Mun, for example, management has cut the waiting time at its outpatient mental clinic by 45 per cent in the past year using a scheme modelled on one devised by carmaker Toyota.
Patients' Rights Association spokesman Tim Pang Hung-cheong says long waiting times remain a widespread problem despite improvements at individual hospitals.
'It is still very common for patients to wait two to three hours to see a doctor for just a few minutes, while the wait at the pharmacy sometimes takes more than an hour,' Pang said.
Some clinics allocated too many appointment slots in every hour. 'The system is designed for the sake of convenience to doctors; it makes sure doctors do not need to wait for patients, so many patients are booked in the same time slot,' he said. 'The Hospital Authority should consider making the system more patient-oriented.'