The dean of medicine at the University of Hong Kong said on Saturday that everyone should have a regular family doctor for better health follow-up and care, and this in turn would reduce pressure on accident and emergency departments.

Professor Lau Chak-sing made the comment on a radio programme after Health Secretary Lo Chung-mau recently proposed higher charges for patients who go to public hospital A&E departments with minor problems, while lowering fees for those in urgent need of treatment in the hope of deterring the abuse of medical resources.

Lau said a family doctor would know a patient's medical record better, and regular check-ups would minimise the need for emergency services.

"The question is actually whether these people really need emergency treatment. That is what we need to face," he said.

"And in fact, we have really been looking at it. And over the last few years, we've been actually looking at how primary health care and family medicine can actually help divert some of the people who are sick from the A&E department. I think that is what we really need to do."

Meanwhile, Lau also said that the government's plan to expand the elderly healthcare voucher scheme to more facilities in the Greater Bay Area would provide greater convenience for Hong Kong retirees north of the border.

He added that medical record exchanges between medical institutions in Hong Kong and the mainland would be beneficial to patients, saying he hoped this could be achieved as soon as possible.