Accident and Emergency fees 2026: HK$400 per attendance at public hospitals, the five triage categories, waiting times and refunds

How much does a public Accident and Emergency Department charge?

From 1 January 2026, Eligible Persons pay HK$400 per attendance at Hospital Authority Accident and Emergency Departments; before the fees reform it was HK$180.

Eligible Persons triaged as critical (Category I) or emergency (Category II) are exempted from the Accident and Emergency fee.

For who counts as an Eligible Person and other charges for Non-eligible Persons, see Public hospital fees for Non-eligible Persons; for the overall 2026 fees reform, see Public healthcare fees and charges reform 2026.

Can the Accident and Emergency fee be refunded?

Yes: Eligible Persons who have paid and leave the Accident and Emergency Department before being seen by a doctor can apply for a refund of HK$350 within 24 hours of registering at Accident and Emergency.

The Accident and Emergency refund mechanism became a standing arrangement with the 2026 fees reform, and patients who have been triaged but not yet seen can apply for a refund within 24 hours of registration through HA Go or at the Accident and Emergency registration counter (Government reply to the Legislative Council, April 2026).

Non-eligible Persons who have paid and leave the Accident and Emergency Department before being seen by a doctor can apply for a refund of HK$1,850 within 24 hours of registration.

How does Accident and Emergency triage work?

At Hospital Authority Accident and Emergency Departments, experienced and specially trained triage nurses make an initial assessment based on the medical history, symptoms and vital signs on arrival, and classify patients into five categories, deciding the order of treatment by the severity of their condition.

Which category an individual patient falls into is decided by the Accident and Emergency triage nurse on the basis of the assessment at the time.

Semi-urgent and non-urgent patients are generally in a relatively stable condition and their conditions are not life-threatening (for example influenza or stomach upsets), and most can be treated at Family Medicine Clinics or private clinics (Government reply to the Legislative Council, January 2026).

For the locations and consultation hours of public Family Medicine Clinics, see Family Medicine Clinics in Hong Kong; for the fees of private hospital 24-hour outpatient services, see Private hospital 24-hour outpatient fees.

For the Chinese name 急症室 and the abbreviation A&E, see 急症室 in English.

Have Accident and Emergency waiting times improved in 2026?

In the first six months of 2026, the proportion of Category III (urgent) cases at Hospital Authority Accident and Emergency Departments treated within 30 minutes rose from 81.4% to 88.5%, and the average waiting time fell from 23 minutes to 20 minutes (Hospital Authority, July 2026).

Who does not have to pay the Accident and Emergency fee?

Comprehensive Social Security Assistance recipients, holders of Level 0 vouchers under the Residential Care Service Voucher Scheme for the Elderly and Old Age Living Allowance recipients aged 75 or above are exempted from public healthcare charges once their eligibility is confirmed online, after they inform staff and show their identity document each time they register for treatment (Government paper to the Legislative Council, April 2025).

The Hospital Authority also sets an annual charge cap of HK$10,000 per patient, counted by calendar year, which all Hong Kong residents can apply for and which applies to all public charges for Eligible Persons, excluding inpatient charges in special wards and self-financed drugs and devices (Government paper to the Legislative Council, April 2025); the cap has no means test (Government reply to the Legislative Council, April 2026). For details of the cap, see Public healthcare fees and charges reform 2026.

For eligibility and how to apply for a medical fee waiver, see Applying for a medical fee waiver.

Frequently asked questions