Health Bureau and Hospital Authority jointly organise first District Council briefing on fees and charges reform for public healthcare (with photos)

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The Health Bureau (HHB), together with the Hospital Authority (HA), organised the first District Council (DC) briefing on fees and charges reform for public healthcare today (April 29) to explain the details of the fees and charges reform for public healthcare, particularly the measures for enhancing patient protection, to over 200 DC members and local community members.

The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, said, "The fees and charges reform for public healthcare aims to enhance healthcare protection for 'poor, acute, serious, critical' patients, rationalise the subsidy levels of public hospital services, and reduce wastage and abuse, while enhancing the sustainability of the public healthcare system. Through this briefing, we hope to elaborate details of the reform to DC members, and leverage the role of DC as a bridge to help members of the public better understand that the reform is pursued for their benefits."

The Deputising Chief Executive of the HA, Dr Simon Tang, highlighted the three key measures for strengthening healthcare protection, namely, enhancing the medical fee waiver mechanism, introducing an annual cap of $10,000 for public healthcare fees and charges, and optimising the application and subsidisation of innovative drugs and medical devices. He said, "The HA will streamline the application procedures for the medical fee waiver and safety net to ensure the smooth implementation of the reform."

Since the announcement of the fees and charges reform for public healthcare, the HHB and the HA have been explaining the reform to the Legislative Council, members of the public, and stakeholders of various sectors, and have produced various information packs, short videos and promotional materials to help the public understand the new healthcare protection measures. In particular, the HA website and the HA mobile app "HA Go" have launched a means test calculator, where users only need to input their information, such as household income and assets, for a preliminary assessment of their eligibility for the enhanced medical fee waiver and the Samaritan Fund.

The new fees and charges for public healthcare will take effect on January 1 next year. The HHB and the HA will organise another DC briefing next week and will continue to actively explain the details to members of the public.

Ends/Tuesday, April 29, 2025
Issued at HKT 18:53

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The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau (centre); the Deputising Chief Executive of the Hospital Authority (HA), Dr Simon Tang (left), and the Chief Manager (Allied Health) of the HA, Ms Priscilla Poon (right), attend the first District Council (DC) briefing on fees and charges reform for public healthcare to explain the details of the reform to over 200 DC members and local community members today (April 29).

The Under Secretary for Health, Dr Libby Lee (centre) attends the first District Council briefing on fees and charges reform for public healthcare to explain the details of the reform to an attendee today (April 29).

The Health Bureau, together with the Hospital Authority, organised the first District Council (DC) briefing on fees and charges reform for public healthcare today (April 29) to explain the details of the reform, particularly the measures for enhancing patient protection, to over 200 DC members and local community members.

Over 200 District Council (DC) members and local community members attend the first DC briefing on fees and charges reform for public healthcare jointly organised by the Health Bureau and the Hospital Authority to learn about the details of the reform today (April 29).