Health secretary Lo Chung-mau on Wednesday urged private hospitals to take in more non-Covid patients so that public hospitals can free up more beds to tackle a rising caseload.

He said more people are expected to be admitted to public hospitals, and making use of private-hospital beds is crucial in helping to maintain public medical services.

Lo said although all 13 private hospitals had heeded his earlier appeal to provide an initial 364 beds, the occupancy rate was less than half as of 5pm on Tuesday, with Adventist Hospital on Stubbs Road not admitting a single public hospital patient since late July.

In a statement, the health secretary said he understands the usage rate is affected by a number of factors, including some patients mistakenly thinking they would have to pay higher fees and some private hospitals not admitting patients on weekends or public holidays.

The health chief said the Hospital Authority will follow up with individual private hospitals that admitted few patients.