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Health

Patients are classified under five categories according to their clinical conditions: critical cases come under Category 1, emergency cases under Category 2, urgent cases under Category 3, semi-urgent cases under Category 4, and non-urgent cases under Category 5. The triage system ensures patients with more urgent needs receive prompt treatment. In 2017, all Category 1 patients received immediate treatment while 97 per cent of Category 2 patients were treated within 15 minutes.

These services spent some $2.9 billion in 2016-17 and handled 2.2 million visits by 1.28 million people in 2017, an average of about 6,000 attendances per day.

Medical Charges and Waivers

Fees for public hospital and clinic services are subsidised at a rate of 97.1 per cent by the government. Under a medical fee waiver mechanism, waivers are granted for needy groups including CSSA recipients, low-income patients, the chronically ill and elderly patients with financial difficulties. In July, the Hospital Authority extended the coverage of medical fee waivers for public health care to older Old Age Living Allowance recipients with more financial needs, so as to reduce their medical expenses.

Private Hospitals

The private care sector complements the public sector by providing a range of specialist and hospital services.

The 11 private hospitals served 389,486 inpatients in 2016, representing 18 per cent of the city's total number of inpatients. Spending on private inpatient services amounted to $19.9 billion in 2014-15, accounting for 37 per cent of overall expenditure on inpatient services in the public and private sectors.

Major Developments

Public Hospital Development Projects

In 2017, construction of the Hong Kong Children's Hospital and preparatory works for phase 1 redevelopment of Queen Mary Hospital were substantially completed. The government began main works for the extension of Tuen Mun Hospital's Operating Theatre Block, and preparatory works for the construction of New Acute Hospital at Kai Tak Development Area and phase 2 stage 1 redevelopment of Prince of Wales Hospital. Other ongoing projects include substructure and utilities diversion works for the extension project at Tuen Mun Hospital, phase 1 redevelopment of Kwai Chung Hospital, demolition and substructure works to expand United Christian Hospital, refurbishment of Hong Kong Buddhist Hospital, expansion of the Hong Kong Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service Headquarters and Haven of Hope Hospital, and demolition and substructure works for phase 1 redevelopment of Kwong Wah Hospital.

Public-private Partnership Projects

The government takes part in clinical public-private partnership projects through the Hospital Authority, including programmes about cataract surgery, patient empowerment, haemodialysis, radiological investigation, infirmary services and colon assessment.

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