The HKSAR government is currently conducting preliminary studies on raising fees for accident and emergency services at public hospitals so as to reduce abuse. Prof. Peter Yuen, Dean of PolyU CPCE, was interviewed on the TVB programme “News Magazine” aired on 24 February 2024 to shed light on the issue.
Prof. Yuen, a renowned scholar in health economics, pointed out that dealing with infinite demands with limited resources may not be sustainable. With the problem of an aging population in Hong Kong becoming more serious and the number of taxpayers decreasing, this directly affects the public purse available to subsidise public hospital expenses. Together with issues like medical inflation, it is thus essential for the public healthcare system to undergo reform in the long term. He suggested that the government should increase the proportion of funding for primary healthcare and redirect some medical cases to be managed by the primary healthcare system, which could help improve cost-effectiveness and save public money.
Watch the “News Magazine” episode 「急症加價？」at www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLxZKasq8Jc
