Public 'mostly unaware of new hospital fee exemptions'
The FTU conducted a survey, garnering over 700 responses, to gauge public understanding of the new upcoming healthcare charges. Photo: RTHK
The Federation of Trade Unions (FTU) said on Friday there is an urgent need for increased public awareness of what the processes surrounding the new healthcare charges to be levied next year involve.
The reforms will see fee adjustments across a spectrum of public services, including accident and emergency wards, hospital stays and consultations at specialist and family medicine outpatient clinics, phased in over three stages starting on January 1.
To gauge public understanding of these changes, the FTU conducted a survey from April 22 to May 13, garnering more than 700 responses.
FTU lawmaker Bill Tang said that while most respondents knew about the fee increases, very few were aware of the enhanced fee exemption mechanism, signalling a need for more promotional efforts.
"The government should actively [give] them the information," he said.
For example, Tang said, they give patients leaflets to clearly tell them which criteria fits the new scheme.
Also, he said, "the 'HA Go' [mobile app] is now more and more welcome among patients, so 'HA Go' should be a very good way to promote the new scheme of fee exemptions.
"The government should [make] good use of the network of the local medical centres and district counsellors to promote the new fee exemption scheme together."
Tang said more than a million people in the SAR should qualify for the enhanced exemptions.
He also urged an earlier opening of applications to align with implementation of the reforms and reduce administrative delays.
He further suggested expanding automatic medical fee waivers for Old Age Living Allowance recipients aged 75 or above to those aged 65 or above, saying this would ease the processing burden on healthcare staff while extending support to more seniors.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RTHK
2 days ago
- RTHK
'More care places needed for abused kids with new law'
'More care places needed for abused kids with new law' Lawmaker Connie Lam says there may be more reported child abuse cases when a new laws takes effect in January 2026. Photo: RTHK A lawmaker has called for additional care places to be made available for youngsters subject to suspected abuse in Hong Kong, as more cases are expected to come to light when a new law takes effect next year. Lawmaker Connie Lam, who's also a social worker, said on Wednesday there could be more reported cases once the Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse Ordinance comes into effect in January. Official data showed more than 1,500 newly registered child abuse cases were recorded last year, a slight increase compared with 2023. "When it comes to serious physical abuse or other forms of abuse of children, people tend to prefer to over-report, rather than under-report, in hopes of protecting the children around them," she told RTHK's "In the Chamber" programme. "Temporary accommodation services are currently insufficient, with children in need having to wait. "The number of places has to be increased." The law sets out how 25 types of professionals, including doctors, social workers and teachers, will face a maximum punishment of three months in prison and a $50,000 fine if they fail to tell the authorities when they suspect a child is suffering physical, psychological or sexual abuse.
RTHK
25-06-2025
- RTHK
Schools to get space oil test kits next academic year
Schools to get space oil test kits next academic year Secretary for Security Chris Tang told lawmakers on Wednesday that the space oil drug test kit that is slated for schools will be different from the one that the police use. Speaking in the Legislative Council, he said the government plans to roll out the kit for schools participating in an anti-drug initiative "Healthy School Programme" in the next academic year. Under the programme, drug tests are voluntary. Tang said the force's test strips, deployed since January, are used for making arrests and the case for prosecutions, and are not the same as those to be used in schools. "We take samples, including urine, hair or saliva, to test for the presence of drugs," he said. "So the objective is quite different. "The Healthy School Programme adopts a rehabilitation orientation." Between 2023 and the end of last month, there were 493 cases involving space oil drug use, Tang said, with around 70 percent of them involving people aged below 21. Lawmaker Dennis Lam asked if the government would consider renaming the drug, saying the current one may cause people to link it with Space X's missions. Tang said the government is now coming up with other names, with one potential candidate, "zombie oil", being based on the effects of taking the drug such as skin ulcers and inflammation.
RTHK
25-06-2025
- RTHK
Schools to get space oil test kits next academic year
Schools to get space oil test kits next academic year Chris Tang says the government is considering new potential names for the space oil drug. Photo: RTHK Secretary for Security Chris Tang told lawmakers on Wednesday that the space oil drug test kit that is slated for schools will be different from the one that the police use. Speaking in the Legislative Council, he said the government plans to roll out the kit for schools participating in an anti-drug initiative "Healthy School Programme" in the next academic year. Under the programme, drug tests are voluntary. Tang said the force's test strips, deployed since January, are used for making arrests and the case for prosecutions, and are not the same as those to be used in schools. "We take samples, including urine, hair or saliva, to test for the presence of drugs," he said. "So the objective is quite different. "The Healthy School Programme adopts a rehabilitation orientation." Between 2023 and the end of last month, there were 493 cases involving space oil drug use, Tang said, with around 70 percent of them involving people aged below 21. Lawmaker Dennis Lam asked if the government would consider renaming the drug, saying the current one may cause people to link it with Space X's missions. Tang said the government is now coming up with other names, with one potential candidate, "zombie oil", being based on the effects of taking the drug such as skin ulcers and inflammation.
