A&E fee reform needed as some patients only seek sick notes, Hong Kong doctor says

A veteran Hong Kong doctor has defended a controversial plan to increase fees at public hospitals’ accident and emergency departments, saying the reform is needed to improve resource allocation as 55 per cent of cases there are not urgent, with some just seeking sick leave certificates.

Dr Tsui Shek-hon, A&E medicine specialist at Queen Mary Hospital, stressed that authorities were not accusing patients of “abusing” the services, but some cases clearly did not require urgent treatment.

“Data shows that about 55 per cent of the cases attending the A&E departments are classified as semi-urgent or non-urgent under the triage system,” said Tsui, deputy hospital chief executive who has been working at the A&E department for more than 30 years.

Tsui said that some of the patients only wanted to obtain a medical certificate to apply for sick leave.

“We came across cases in which some people felt sick while working in the office but waited until they were finished to go see a doctor at the A&E department. These patients are those who we do not think we should deploy resources for,” he said.

“Some others felt sick and spent most of the day at home. In the late evening, they realised they had not obtained a sick note. So, they went to the A&E department to see a doctor.”