Hong Kong should review A&E charges to prevent abuses, John Lee says, as authorities weigh upping service fees to combat budget deficit

City leader says fee review important to bring down waiting times, days after finance chief lists raising government service charges as an option to tackle deficit

‘In the past, we saw a lot of people using A&E services when they did not need them. We will focus on preventing abuse of A&E services,’ he adds

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Hong Kong’s A&E units last increased their service fees in 2017. Photo: Eugene Lee

Published: 2:21pm, 9 Jan 2024Updated: 4:36pm, 9 Jan 2024

Hong Kong should review how much it charges for accident and emergency (A&E) services to prevent abuses, the city’s leader has said, after a top minister suggested raising public service fees to combat a substantial budget deficit.

“In the past, we saw a lot of people using the A&E services when they did not need them,” Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said on Tuesday before a meeting with the Executive Council, the city’s top political advisory body.

“We will focus on preventing the abuse of A&E services … so the [waiting] times and service quality can be enhanced too.”

Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po over the weekend said that authorities would review public service charges that had remained the same for several years and those based on a “user pays principle” in a bid to trim the budget deficit.

The minister earlier predicted a deficit of more than HK$100 billion for the 2023-24 financial year, which he attributed to slow economic growth and mass government spending amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

In the case of public hospital charges, the costs are reviewed every two years under an established mechanism. Accident and emergency attendance fees were last increased in 2017, going from HK$100 (US$12.8) to HK$180.