Health Secretary Lo Chung-mau on Wednesday said he planned to deter people from abusing emergency services at public hospitals by raising fees, citing cases of people seeking treatment at emergency departments for minor problems such as pimples and itchy feet.

The current fee for attending accident and emergency services at public hospitals in the city has remained unchanged at HK$180 since 2017.

Describing the current fee level as "out of touch" with the real cost of providing services, Lo said it's time for a review given the shortage of medical staff and resources.

In an interview with Sing Tao Daily, Lo said the fee increases would not be across the board, with fees for urgent cases potentially reduced and those for non-urgent cases raised.

He stressed that the ability of residents to pay would be taken into account when changing the fee structure.

In addition, the cost of medicines and other public hospital charges will also be reviewed, he said.

Data from the Hospital Authority showed that of the 1.7 million visits to public hospital emergency departments last year, less than half were classified as critical, emergency and urgent.

Financial Secretary Paul Chan has suggested that fees for public services could be increased to help plug the government's deficit.