Hong Kong officials aim to eliminate a 10 percent absentee rate for complimentary radiology services through a plan that would require individuals seeking non-emergency medical care to pay for specific imaging tests.
However, the Hospital Authority stated on Friday that the suggested co-payment system for diagnostic procedures like CT and MRI scans would remain economically manageable for patients since the majority of expenses would continue to be covered by the government.
Dr. Michael Wong Lap-gate, who serves as the director of quality and safety at the authority, stated that the government is presently covering all costs for radiology services in public hospitals. However, the increasing volume of cases has put additional strain on this system.
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The aging of our population means younger individuals are increasingly facing chronic conditions," Wong stated. "This places immense strain on the entire healthcare system. Additionally, there’s a growing demand for radiology services since more diagnostic tests are required now compared to earlier times.
He mentioned that during the 2023-24 fiscal year, the public system managed to address only 87,000 out of the 111,000 requests for MRI services. Additionally, both ultrasonography and CT scan provisions encountered comparable shortages.
Wong mentioned that the cost of an individual MRI scan at a private facility could range anywhere from a few thousand Hong Kong dollars up to over HK$10,000 (approximately US$1,300).
He pledged that the funds obtained from the anticipated co-payment scheme, set to be unveiled shortly, would be channeled into the healthcare sector to bolster assistance for individuals suffering from severe and critical conditions, along with those unable to afford medical expenses.
Wong mentioned that approximately 10 percent of patients missed their scheduled radiology appointments during the period from 2022 to 2023. Furthermore, these individuals did not inform the hospitals regarding their inability to keep those appointments.
He mentioned that hospitals couldn't locate alternative patients to occupy the vacant time slots right away.
He stated, 'The circumstances are far from perfect; ideally, we would like to minimize the no-show rate to none.'
Should they fail to cancel their reservations, we'll proceed with charging them for the service. Consequently, this will make them value the appointments they schedule more. If they no longer require our service, they can take the step of cancelling their reservations themselves.
After Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau stated that the administration might introduce separate charges for procedures like CT and MRI scans at public outpatient facilities, Wong responded. Lo mentioned that some level of misuse occurs due to these scans being currently free of charge.
The health minister stated that the administration plans to request residents to contribute a specific sum through the co-payment scheme and emphasized that these charges would remain within reasonable limits.
He stated that hospitalised patients and individuals going to emergency rooms would not be affected by the suggested change.
As stated by the Hospital Authority, the wait times for semi-urgent cases to get CT, MRI scans, and ultrasound services were 29, 33, and 27 weeks correspondingly.
Dr. Paul Lee Sing-fan, who chairs the coordination committee for radiology at the organization, stated that the possible decrease in wait times for these services due to the proposed fees remained uncertain.
"It takes around over 30 weeks for semi-urgent patients to receive the CT scan service, it means waiting for over half a year," he said.
Despite a reduction of just one or two weeks after introducing these fees, it still proves advantageous for the patients.
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