The Hospital Authority said it hopes an increase in the Accident and Emergency (A&E) service fee would ensure resources are reserved for those most in need.

A&E services are heavily subsidised by taxpayers' money. The average cost per case stood at HK$2,070 in 2023-24, but each patient is only charged HK$180.

Sticking to the current five-category triage system, the fee could be waived or reduced for the most critical patients, while less urgent ones - or those in categories four and five - may soon have to pay more, sources told RTHK.

A government review is under way and results could be announced as early as the end of this month.

Hospital Authority director Michael Wong, who works on quality and safety, insists a price adjustment can change people's habits when seeking medical attention.

"In 2017, the price increased from HK$100 to HK$180. The next year, the accident and emergency department attendance has dropped five percent. This drop is mainly contributed by category four and five patients," he said.

"From then on, we noted that the ratio of category four and five patients has remained lower than the previous year. It actually has some persistent effect on these patients seeking medical help. So we hope that in our coming fee adjustment, we'll have some persistent effects for our patients."

Almost two million patients attended A&E services at the city's 18 public hospitals in 2024, with more than half of them deemed as semi-urgent or non-urgent.

With manpower and resources stretched thin, the authority said around 77 percent of urgent patients were attended to within half an hour, lower than its service target of 90 percent.

By bumping up the service charge, the authority hoped patients with milder symptoms can seek alternative treatment options, such as general out-patient clinics.

Non-urgent patients faced an average waiting time of 190 minutes last year, up from 129 minutes in 2015.