According to the Hospital Authority (HA), public healthcare fee reforms have improved accident and emergency (A&E) department performance while expanding financial protection for patients. The 18 A&E departments managed by the authority recorded 913,248 attendances in the first half of 2026, down 3.9% from the same period last year.
264,087 medical fee-waiver applications were approved in the first half of 2026, representing an approval rate of more than 90%. This is nearly 19 times the approximately 14,000 patients who received fee waivers during the full year before the reforms.
Waiting Times and Attendances
The proportion of urgent patients treated within the service target of 30 minutes increased from 81.4% to 88.5%. Their average waiting time declined from 23 to 20 minutes. Attendances involving semi-urgent and non-urgent cases fell by about 10%, with non-urgent cases declining approximately 20%.
Critical and emergency cases accounted for 44,522 attendances. These patients were fully exempted from A&E fees under the revised charging mechanism.
Financial Assistance and Reforms
Financial assistance also increased following the changes. The authority received 289,799 medical fee-waiver applications as of 30 June and approved 264,087. An annual cap of $10,000 was also introduced on eligible patient spending.
The 10,595 patients approved under the scheme will have further eligible medical fees waived for the remainder of the financial year. The reforms also expanded support for innovative drugs and medical devices.
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The HA added 16 drugs to its formulary during the first six months, including seven targeted cancer treatments. Six of the medicines were included in the Special Drugs category.
Support for Patients and Future Implementation
Eligible patients receiving these drugs under specified clinical conditions pay a standard fee of $20 every four weeks. Financial assessment criteria for Samaritan Fund assistance were also relaxed to extend support to more critically ill patients, including those from middle-income households.
Approved Samaritan Fund subsidies for drugs rose 22% to $1.28b. Subsidies for non-drug items, including medical devices, increased 10% to $220m. The HA said the initial data showed the reforms were operating as intended and would inform the next phase of implementation.
In practice, these reforms mean that patients who require urgent care can now access it more quickly, while those who do not need emergency attention are less likely to attend A&E departments. This should lead to more efficient use of resources and better outcomes for patients.
The HA’s efforts to expand support for innovative drugs and medical devices will also benefit patients with specific conditions, such as cancer. As the authority continues to implement and refine the reforms, it will be important to monitor their impact on patient care and outcomes.