Visits to accident and emergency (A&E) departments at Hong Kong’s public hospitals have dropped by nearly 12 per cent since a new pricing regime took effect, while the number of people benefiting from fee waivers has tripled.
The Hospital Authority said on Friday that in the first week after the new fees regime was implemented on New Year’s Day it had seen a “significant decrease” in average daily A&E attendance, while more low-income families and underprivileged groups were being supported.
“The service data of the past week shows that the fees and charges reform allowed A&Es to perform their emergency care function more effectively,” an authority spokesman said.
“A&Es can better concentrate resources, treat patients with urgent medical needs more effectively and improve treatment efficiency for urgent cases.”
Between January 1 and 7, 32,147 patients attended the 18 A&Es operated by the authority, a decrease of 11.9 per cent from the same period last year.
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