Replies to LegCo questions
LCQ5: Waiver of medical fees
Following is a question by the Hon Cyd Ho and a written reply by the Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food, Dr Yeoh Eng-kiong, in the Legislative Council today (April 28):
Question:
Regarding wavier of medical fees, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the operation of the medical fee wavier mechanism applicable to the accident and emergency service charges (A&E charges) of public hospitals, as well as the procedure for making fee wavier applications;
(b) of the number of applications for fee wavier submitted under the above mechanism and successful cases in each of the past months since the introduction of A&E charges and up to the end of February this year, broken down by applicant category (such as low-income patients, chronically ill patients, elderly patients with little income and assets, etc), as well as the average validity period of the fee wavier granted;
(c) how the above numbers of applications and successful cases compare to those of similar cases under the enhanced medical fee wavier mechanism; and
(d) whether it has measures to promote the enhanced medical fee wavier mechanism; if so, of the amount of expenditure involved; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
(a) It has been the Government's policy that no one will be denied adequate medical care due to lack of means. To ensure that this principle is upheld after the introduction of A&E charges for public hospitals in November 2002, recipients of Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) have been exempted from payment of the charges. In addition, an enhanced medical fee waiver mechanism has been implemented to enable vulnerable groups other than CSSA recipients, including low-income patients, chronically ill patients and elderly patients in economic hardship, to be granted a fee waiver for A&E and other public medical services.
Under the enhanced waiver mechanism, non-CSSA recipients who cannot afford public medical charges (including A&E charges) may apply for a fee waiver from medical social workers stationed in public hospitals. Each application is assessed with regard to the financial, social and medical conditions of the applicant concerned on a household basis. In no circumstances will the assessment process affect the delivery of the medical care required by the patients concerned.
(b) & (c) The monthly statistics on successful applications that involved the use of A&E services under the enhanced medical fee waiver mechanism from April 2003 to February 2004 are tabulated below.
Month Total number of successful applications under the
enhanced waiver mechanism that involved the use
of A&E services
Apr 03 384
May 03 439
Jun 03 621
Jul 03 773
Aug 03 831
Sep 03 904
Oct 03 886
Nov 03 896
Dec 03 960
Jan 04 788
Feb 04 886
Total 8,368
Of the 8,368 waivers that involved the use of A&E services, about 33 per cent were related to patients aged 65 or above. Some 77 per cent of the 8,000-odd waivers were valid for a certain period. The average validity period was about six months.
The other information requested including the statistical breakdowns on unsuccessful applications are not readily available as the data are not routinely captured by the Hospital Authority's information system.
(d) To promote public awareness of the enhanced medical fee waiver mechanism, the Social Welfare Department (SWD) and the Hospital Authority have been displaying/distributing bilingual posters and leaflets at their frontline operational units, including public hospitals and clinics as well as SWD's medical social services units, family services centres and social security field units. The promotional expenditure involved is covered by the financial provisions for the two agencies and cannot be separately identified.
Ends/Wednesday, April 28, 2004
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