Expectant mothers in Hong Kong requiring government antenatal services will only need to visit public hospitals, rather than maternal and child health centres, under a change taking effect on Monday. Health authorities announced on Friday that antenatal services currently provided by maternal and child health centres, managed by the Department of Health, will be transferred…
Hong Kong police have arrested an employee of a systems maintenance contractor hired by the Hospital Authority on suspicion of stealing the personal data of more than 56,000 patients and 1,000 staff members. The arrest of a 30-year-old local man came just days after the authority reported on Saturday a suspected data leak involving patients…
Hong Kong introduced a public hospital fee overhaul at the start of the year in response to long-standing pressures from an ageing population, rising chronic diseases and growing expenditure. Early data from the Hospital Authority suggests the fee increases are having an effect. From January 1-18, semi-urgent and non-urgent cases at accident and emergency (A&E)…
Hong Kong public hospitals will offer flexibility when charging patients at accident and emergency (A&E) departments to smooth the transition to new healthcare payment arrangements from January 1. The Hospital Authority said on Tuesday that people who leave public hospital emergency departments before receiving a consultation will need to pay HK$50 (US$7) for triage and…
Patients with non-urgent conditions could have their waiting times at Hong Kong’s public specialist outpatient clinics reduced by a quarter under a new electronic platform being developed to improve efficiency, the Hospital Authority’s chief has revealed. Libby Lee Ha-yun, who assumed the role of authority chief executive earlier this month, also said on Saturday that…
Patients requiring Covid-19 oral antiviral drugs from private doctors in Hong Kong will have to pay about HK$7,000 (US$892) for a course of treatment, with the government saying it will stop providing the medication for free as the pandemic has subsided. The Centre for Health Protection said on Thursday that the provision of free drugs…