People who turn up at accident and emergency departments only to have their complaint deemed to be minor could soon be able to get their money back so they can leave and avoid a potentially long and unnecessary wait.

Public hospitals will carry out a 10-day trial of the refund scheme from Friday, to see whether offering people with minor ailments their HK$180 back will help bring down queues for treatment.

"We are targeting those who go to accident and emergency departments unaware of the long waiting times," Health Secretary Lo Chung-mau said on Tuesday.

"When they find out they are classified as non-urgent cases and have to wait for hours to see a doctor, they want to go elsewhere, but the fee they have paid could not be refunded... The trial is for people with minor illnesses. They can get a refund if they decide not to wait."

Meanwhile, Lo said 18 public clinics will stay open over the Lunar New Year holiday in anticipation of an increase in respiratory diseases during a predicted cold snap.

He said the clinics will be able to serve up to 8,000 patients over the four-day period.