Lau Ho-lim, vice president of general affairs at the Hong Kong College of Family Physicians, said it is important for family doctors to educate patients about urgent and non-urgent symptoms so they could decide whether a visit to the accident and emergency unit is necessary.
“If we promote health – and with a healthy lifestyle and with a very good management of chronic diseases – a lot of complications and a lot of acute conditions can be prevented,” he said.
“In turn, it will reduce the attendance to specialist operations departments or the A&E department.”
Dr Lau pointed out that the cost of advanced pathology and non-urgent imaging tests in the public sector remain significantly lower than those in the private sector.
Head of healthcare and social innovation at Our Hong Kong Foundation, Dicky Chow, welcomed the government’s review of the public healthcare fee structure.
Chow believes it will enhance the healthcare system’s sustainability and ensure that public funds are used more effectively.
In a statement, Chow also urged the government to enhance the capacity of outpatient and primary care services.
He also suggested that authorities should establish more evening clinics and better utilise community pharmacies to help meet demand.
Meanwhile, the Society for Community Organisation expressed the concern that the proposed fee adjustments could significantly burden grassroots and lower-middle class patients with chronic illnesses financially.
They emphasised the need for a more comprehensive medical fee waiver system to prevent these groups from missing out on necessary treatments due to financial constraints, and suggested that the government should clarify how increased fees would enhance public healthcare services.
