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Over 60 per cent of Hong Kong’s homeless are unfamiliar with how to apply for medical waivers, and nearly three-fifths are reducing medical visits due to increased public hospital fees, an NGO has found.
The Accident and Emergency (A&E) unit at Prince of Wales Hospital. File photo: GovHK.ImpactHK, which serves the city’s homeless, surveyed 120 people between February and March to understand how medical fee reforms were affecting the community.
The survey was done after a sweeping public hospital fee overhaul came into effect on January 1, which increased prices of some services, such as accident and emergency (A&E).
At the same time, authorities relaxed the threshold for medical waivers, allowing more people to qualify for more affordable healthcare.
ImpactHK’s survey, however, found that only 38.7 per cent of respondents indicated they understood how to apply for the waivers.
Around 32 per cent said they had a slight idea, while almost 30 per cent said they had no knowledge at all.
Citing its figure that 73 per cent of respondents knew that the fee waivers existed, ImpactHK said there was a “high awareness, low mastery” gap.
It urged the government to simplify documentation requirements for the waiver applications. Currently, applicants must submit income proof for at least the past six months.
Homeless people in Sham Shui Po, on February 4, 2025. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.The NGO said that the homeless face challenges in keeping documents in order while living on the streets, which are subject to frequent sweeps by authorities.
Some banks charge HK$50 for each physical monthly statement, and while access to digital statements may be exempt from administrative fees, it is difficult for them to have a smartphone and a phone number, the NGO said.
ImpactHK urged automatic fee waivers for people experiencing homelessness who are registered with outreach teams to “bypass the digital and administrative divide.”
It also said that NGOs should be allowed to act as correspondence addresses for those who are homeless, as they do not have a fixed abode.
60% cutting hospital visits
The increased public hospital fees were part of the government’s sweeping subsidy reforms, which authorities said were needed to strengthen the sustainability of the healthcare system.
Under the new pricing structure, A&E patients classified as urgent, semi-urgent or non-urgent – per the Hospital Authority’s five-tier triage system – are charged HK$400, up from HK$180. Those categorised as critical or emergency are treated for free.
Queen Mary Hospital. Photo: GovHK. Fees for general outpatient clinics and specialist outpatient clinics also increased.
According to ImpactHK’s survey, almost 60 per cent of respondents said they were reducing their trips to the hospital as a result of the increased fees.
Almost 30 per cent said they were seeking other subsidised alternatives for medical services, and around 13 per cent said they were cutting down on other expenses to handle the burden of increased medical fees.
See also: Less-urgent visits to Hong Kong public hospitals’ A&Es down 21% after fee rise
Regarding the medical waiver applications, ImpactHK said around one-third of respondents indicated they were worried that the information they provided would be insufficient and that the process would take too long.
The NGO also said the current waiver threshold of HK$7,575 for a single-person household was “unrealistically low.” It proposed increasing the threshold to the median monthly income, which stands at HK$10,500 as of the last quarter of 2025.
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