Hospital fee revisions proposed for implementation on April 1

Fees for non-eligible persons services are proposed to rise by 44.5%.

According to a release, the Hospital Authority Board discussed and endorsed the review of hospital fees and charges levied on non-eligible persons and private patients at its Administrative & Operational Meeting.

The fee revisions proposed for implementation on April 1, will be gazetted for public notice following input from hospital governing committees and the Government.

To recover costs across all specialties, fees and charges for non-eligible persons services are proposed to rise by 44.5% on average when compared to the level of fees and charges in 2003.

Fees and charges for private services in public hospitals are proposed to be increased by 45% on average when compared to the level of fees and charges in 2003, representing an increase rate of 3.4% per annum on average from 2002/03 to 2013/14.

The proposed revisions of charges are projected to lead to an increase in revenue of $133 million per year.

A new listing approach for itemised private service charges will also be adopted to present items from a broad range of major disciplines in the Gazette, supplemented with the latest detailed list on the authority’s website.

This will keep the charge list current, transparent and easily accessible by the public, the authority noted.