Hong Kong public hospitals report decline in emergency visits over Lunar New Year

Hong Kong’s public hospitals recorded up to a 15 per cent year-on-year decline in the number of patients seeking emergency treatment during the first three days of the Lunar New Year holiday, following fee adjustments introduced at the start of the year. The decline was revealed on Friday by Dr Axel Siu Yuet-chung, chairman of the Hospital Authority’s coordinating committee. He noted that accident and emergency departments (A&E) in public hospitals often become overcrowded during long holidays,... AdvertisementHong Kong healthcare and hospitalsHong KongHealth & EnvironmentHong Kong public hospitals report decline in emergency visits over Lunar New YearHospital Authority links 15 per cent year-on-year decline in A&E cases during the first three days of the holiday to fee reforms taking effectReading Time:2 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPLo Hoi-yingPublished: 1:15pm, 20 Feb 2026Hong Kong’s public hospitals recorded up to a 15 per cent year-on-year decline in the number of patients seeking emergency treatment during the first three days of the Lunar New Year holiday, following fee adjustments introduced at the start of the year.The decline was revealed on Friday by Dr Axel Siu Yuet-chung, chairman of the Hospital Authority’s coordinating committee.He noted that accident and emergency departments (A&E) in public hospitals often become overcrowded during long holidays, as most private clinics close.AdvertisementChecks by the South China Morning Post at 11am on Friday found that non-urgent patients at Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital could wait up to nine hours to see a doctor.Across most public hospitals, waiting times for semi-urgent and non-urgent patients averaged around four hours, while urgent cases were typically seen within half an hour.AdvertisementSiu said the number of patients visiting A&E departments during the first three days of the holiday had dropped by about 11 to 15 per cent compared with the same period last year.AdvertisementSelect VoiceSelect Speed0.8x0.9x1.0x1.1x1.2x1.5x1.75x00:0000:001.00x