HK$10bn Fund Rolled Out To Help Public Hospitals

Financial Secretary Paul Chan on Wednesday said HK$10 billion will be set aside for any additional expenditure the Hospital Authority may run up as it struggles to cope with overwhelming demand for services at public hospitals.

Unveiling the proposal in his budget speech, he said the authority will also be given extra recurrent funding of HK$700 million to increase special allowances for staff and to open new posts for doctors and other medical workers.

Chan said the long waiting times at emergency departments and the overcrowded wards at public hospitals have given rise to widespread public concern, and the proposed “public healthcare stabilisation fund” will cover any extra spending “in case of unexpected circumstances”.

In addition, the authority will be granted an extra HK$5 billion to buy new medical equipment, including advanced devices for treating cancer and other diseases requiring speciality services.

Meanwhile, an extra HK$400 million will be allocated for the authority to buy expensive drugs that aren't subsidised at present.

The estimated recurrent expenditure on public healthcare services will increase by 10.9 percent to HK$80.6 billion in this financial year, he said, accounting for 18.3 percent of the government's total recurrent expenditure.

Chan said people aged over 65 will be given another HK$1,000 in medical vouchers – on top of the HK$2,000 they get every year, which they can spend on medical care in the private sector.

And, each elderly person will be allowed to accumulate up to HK$8,000 worth of vouchers, up from the existing limit of HK$5,000, for “greater flexibility”.