Health 161
Accident and Emergency Service
There are 16 public hospitals under the Hospital Authority providing accident and emergency services. These hospitals deliver a high standard of services for people critically ill or injured who need urgent medical attention, or for victims of disasters. About $1.6 billion were allocated for the provision of such services in the 2007-08 financial year.
In 2008, about 1.2 million people paid about 2.12 million visits to the accident and emergency departments of public hospitals, on average 5 780 attendances per day. Patients attending the accident and emergency departments of public hospitals are classified under five categories according to their state of health or injuries: Critical (Category 1), Emergency (Category 2), Urgent (Category 3), Semi-urgent (Category 4), and Non-urgent (Category 5). The triage system has proved to be an effective means of ensuring that patients with more urgent needs are promptly attended to. In 2008, over 95 per cent of patients in categories 1 and 2 received treatment within the pledged waiting time.
Medical Charges and Waiver
Fees for public hospital services in Hong Kong are affordable to the general public. Medical charges of public hospitals and clinics are heavily subsidised by the Government with an average subsidy level of 95 per cent. People receiving assistance under the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance Scheme are exempted from payment of public medical charges. Other needy groups are also assisted through a medical fee waiver mechanism. Recipients of this waiver include low- income patients, chronically ill patients and elderly patients with financial difficulties.
Private Hospitals
Hong Kong's 12 private hospitals served about 314 024 inpatients in 2007, representing 20.4 per cent of the total number of inpatients in the territory.
According to the DHA, the expenditure on private inpatient services in 2004-05 was about $5.7 billion, accounting for about 21 per cent of the overall expenditure on inpatient services in both the public and private sectors.
Public Hospital Development Programmes
A number of hospital projects are under way to enhance healthcare services in different parts of Hong Kong. These projects include the extension block of Prince of Wales Hospital, preparatory work for the redevelopment of Yan Chai Hospital, preparatory work for the redevelopment of Caritas Medical Centre Phase 2, and expansion of Tseung Kwan O Hospital. Also on the drawing board are a General Outpatient Clinic, an Integrated Community Mental Health Support Services Centre and a Long Stay Care Home in Tin Shui Wai Area 109.
Public-private Partnership Projects in Healthcare Services
The Government carried out a series of pilot projects through the Hospital Authority in 2008 to promote the concept of public-private partnership (PPP) in healthcare services. The projects included the Cataract Surgeries Programme,