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As Members are aware, the cornerstone of our healthcare policy is that no one should be denied adequate medical treatment through lack of means. This policy applies to everybody, whether young or old, able-bodied or disabled alike.
In pursuance of this policy, and for historical reasons, public healthcare services are heavily subsidised. It costs a patient only $60 per day to stay in a hospital or $34 to see a doctor at a general out-patient clinic. About 97% of the actual cost of hospital treatment and 80% of the cost of a consultation is subsidised from general revenue -- in other words, paid for by the community.
Nevertheless, we realise that there are people who cannot afford even these subsidised charges. A waiver system is in place at both the Department of Health and the Hospital Authority to help those with financial difficulties. They may apply for full/partial waiver of fees or for assistance from the Samaritan Fund, as the case may be. Comprehensive Social Security Assistance clients have a proven financial need. They pay nothing for their medical treatment.
The motion before this Council seems to be based on the assumption that all elderly and handicapped patients are in financial need. But is that so? In public hospitals, over 39% of bed-days are occupied by patients over 60 years old, but waivers account for only 13%. Likewise, 34% of patients using general outpatient clinics are elderly people, but only 10% of patients have their fees waived. In other words, the great majority of elderly patients are able to pay the heavily subsidised fees charged for their treatment. Yet, if the direction implied in the Motion were pursued, then every student and housewife could claim inability to pay because they have no personal income, even though other family members may be economically active. Mr President, the Government cannot support today's Motion.
Some Members have on past occasions pointed to the need to prevent public healthcare expenditure from getting out of control. To prevent this runaway, we must always seek to maximise available resources and target expenditure where it is most needed. Subsidy for healthcare must be based on need. What the Motion now proposes is that we should increase subsidies for elderly and handicapped patients, whether they need it or not.
Since reducing services in response to reduced income is unacceptable, more funds must be provided to make up the loss. If some patients pay less, then either other patients or general taxpayers will have to pay more. By charging only half the regular fees, the former approach would result in income foregone of over 20% of the Hospital Authority's and at least 16.5% of the Department of Health's annual fee income. The latter approach would cause public expenditure on healthcare to rise.