Public-private partnerships can ease pressure on Hong Kong hospital A&E services, experts say

Enhancing public-private partnerships could help alleviate pressure on Hong Kong emergency services in public hospitals, an advocacy group and a doctor have said, with the latter warning the government’s suggestion that patients should be charged depending on how urgent their conditions were may lead to disputes.

Dr Luk Che-chung, a former chief executive of the Hospital Authority’s Hong Kong East area, on Monday proposed that some larger private hospitals could take on patients who had been waiting for a long time, such as those categorised as “semi-urgent” or “non-urgent” in public hospitals, at reasonable prices.

“The government can consider public-private partnerships or pilot schemes with private hospitals or large medical groups to take over patients with a long wait time at a reasonable, similar price so that patients can have a choice,” Luk told a radio programme.

He said fees were only one way to ensure public medical resources were best utilised but charging different prices based on the level of urgency to manage demand could “cause disputes” between the understaffed medical teams, and patients and their family members.

The partnership model can also prevent patients from encountering a situation in which the private sector follows in the public sector’s footsteps by increasing charges, according to Luk.

Authorities are currently reviewing accident and emergency (A&E) costs to prevent abuses, with health minister Lo Chung-mau saying those taking advantage of the system could pay fees similar to family doctor consulting charges. But patients in urgent need of treatment might be charged at a cheaper rate.

Ivan Lin Wai-kiu, a community organiser at the Society for Community Organisation, said the effect of managing the demand for A&E services through pricing would be limited and did not address the cause of the issue.