More than 49,000 patients had their medical fee waiver applications approved as of Wednesday, 3.5 times higher than the tally for the previous year, health authorities said on Friday.

This follows the introduction of new public healthcare service fees at the start of the year, with the Hospital Authority (HA) also expanding its waiver mechanism to cover 1.4 million low-income individuals, up from 300,000 previously.

Some 600,000 people already enjoyed waivers before the reform, including those on Comprehensive Social Security Assistance and Old Age Living Allowance.

In a statement, a HA spokesperson said as of Wednesday, more than 11,200 patients have enjoyed various degrees of fee reduction as a result of the reform.

The spokesperson said the surge shows the enhanced mechanism is effective in providing support for those in need.

"The data concerned shows obviously that the enhanced medical fee waivers mechanism... can allocate resources more precisely to strengthen protection for poor, acute, serious and critical patients, ensuring that no patient is denied from medical care due to lack of means," the spokesperson added.

The HA said some 17,000 patients received "conditional waivers", which allow them to enjoy fee reductions for now but are required to submit supporting documents for financial assessment within three months.

Those who complete the assessment and receive formal waiver certificates can have their medical fees waived for up to 18 months.