Hong Kong hospitals adjust fees to reduce A&E wait times

Hong Kong's public hospitals are working to reduce waiting times in their accident and emergency (A&E) departments. The Hospital Authority plans to introduce fee changes in the coming weeks to help achieve this goal. Currently, only 76.6 percent of urgent patients, labeled as category three, are treated within 30 minutes. The authority aims to increase this rate to 90 percent. Patients are divided into five categories based on how serious their conditions are, with category one being "critical" and category five "non-urgent." Dr. Michael Wong, a director at the Hospital Authority, explained that resources have been used to assist less urgent patients, which has delayed care for those who are more urgent. He noted that they are able to treat all critical patients immediately, and they have met a 97.1 percent target for emergency patients within 15 minutes. Dr. Axel Siu, chairman of the A&E coordinating committee, pointed out that a large number of patients who visit the A&E are semi-urgent or non-urgent. Last year, over 55 percent of first-time patients were classified as such. The government is looking to adjust fees to encourage patients to seek care appropriately, ensuring that more resources are available for those in urgent need.