Hong Kong private patients to pay HK$7,000 for Covid drugs as free supply ends
Centre for Health Protection says Covid activity has declined in city, but some doctors warn move may place burden on public healthcare
Patients requiring Covid-19 oral antiviral drugs from private doctors in Hong Kong are set to pay about HK$7,000 (US$892) for a course of treatment, after the government said it would stop providing the medication for free as virus cases had subsided.
The Centre for Health Protection said on Thursday that the provision of free drugs would be discontinued on July 29. The arrangement, in effect since April 2022, has led to about 200,000 treatment courses being prescribed for free by private doctors as of June 30.
The government said it had made the decision because Covid-19 symptoms were now generally mild and the virus was now being managed in a similar fashion to other upper respiratory tract illnesses.
While some doctors said the change in policy was timely, some warned that the move could place a burden on the public healthcare system.
“I’m quite sure that those [who are] immunocompromised and the elderly will delay receiving the treatment and join the long waiting lines at emergency departments or general outpatient clinics,” infectious disease specialist Dr Joseph Tsang Kay-yan said, referring to the demand for public hospital services.
He also raised concerns about how the policy change could lead to more serious cases among elderly patients, those who were immunocompromised or had chronic medical illnesses.