Cancer treatment costs in Hong Kong 2026: public, private and financial assistance compared
From 1 January 2026, Eligible Persons pay HK$250 per attendance at Hospital Authority oncology clinics, and HK$20 per item (in units of 4 weeks) for cancer drugs in the General category, or in the Special category for specified clinical indications; for self-financed cancer drugs you can apply for assistance from the Samaritan Fund or the Community Care Fund Medical Assistance Programmes, subject to a means test. Private treatment costs follow hospital and doctor charges; for example, at the 8 hospitals this site checked, a plain whole-body trunk PET-CT scan costs about HK$15,200 to HK$18,390.
What are the routes for paying for cancer treatment?
Compiled by this site: public hospitals charge according to the gazetted schedule of charges, and some cancer drugs are self-financed items; for self-financed drugs you can apply for assistance from the Samaritan Fund or the Community Care Fund Medical Assistance Programmes; private hospital consultation, drug, test and treatment charges follow each hospital's and doctor's fees. The charges, assistance and documents for the three are in the table below.
The treatment plan and the drugs needed are decided by the treating doctor according to the patient's condition.
| Item | Public hospital (Hospital Authority) | Assistance (Samaritan Fund, Community Care Fund) | Private hospital |
|---|---|---|---|
| Consultation | For Eligible Persons, HK$250 per attendance at specialist outpatient clinics and oncology clinics (from 1 January 2026) | — | According to hospital and doctor charges; for what a consultation fee quote includes, see Private specialist fees overview |
| Drugs | General drugs, and Special drugs used for specified clinical indications, are charged at the standard fee of HK$20 per item, in units of 4 weeks; self-financed drugs are paid for by the patient | For self-financed drugs covered by the safety net, eligible patients can apply for assistance; clinical criteria must be met and a means test passed | Drugs are usually charged separately |
| Tests | Non-emergency CT and MRI are Advanced items at HK$500 per item; tests during an inpatient stay are included in the HK$300 daily acute bed charge | — | For example, plain whole-body trunk PET-CT about HK$15,200 to HK$18,390 at 8 hospitals |
| Fee protection | Annual charge cap of HK$10,000 (excluding self-financed drugs and devices and inpatient charges in special wards); medical fee waiver; free for CSSA recipients | For drug assistance, the patient's contribution is capped each year at 20% of the household's annual disposable financial resources | Depends on medical insurance |
| How to apply or start | A new specialist outpatient case needs a referral letter issued by a locally registered doctor within the last three months | Apply through the hospital's medical social worker; assistance starts only after the application is approved | Book directly with the hospital or doctor; you can ask for a budget estimate of the service fees |
How are public hospital cancer treatments charged?
Cancer drugs on the Hospital Authority Drug Formulary are classed as General drugs, Special drugs, self-financed items with safety net and self-financed items without safety net; the Formulary covers 169 drugs for treating different cancers, half of which are already in the General or Special drug categories and are prescribed at the standard fee (Government reply to the Legislative Council, June 2026).
From 1 January 2026, Eligible Persons pay HK$250 per consultation at Hospital Authority specialist outpatient clinics and oncology clinics, HK$20 per prescribed drug item (charged in units of 4 weeks, self-financed drugs excluded), and HK$300 per day in an acute bed; CT and MRI scans are Advanced items in non-emergency radiology, at HK$500 per item (Hospital Authority Chief Executive, March 2025).
Hong Kong residents can apply for an annual charge cap of HK$10,000, counted by calendar year, with no means test, excluding self-financed drugs and devices and inpatient charges in special wards; CSSA recipients can receive medical services free of charge at public clinics or hospitals.
What assistance is there for self-financed cancer drugs?
The Samaritan Fund gives financial assistance to needy patients who meet specified clinical criteria and pass a means test, to pay for ‘privately purchased medical items’ or new technologies not covered by the standard charges of public hospitals and clinics (Social Welfare Department, August 2023); the first phase of the Community Care Fund Medical Assistance Programmes has covered 17 specified self-financed cancer drugs since the end of January 2026 (Government paper to the Legislative Council, April 2026).
The Samaritan Fund relaxed its means test from 1 January 2026: only 80% of income is counted for new applicants and only 60% for continuing applicants, and the sliding scale of patient contributions has been widened; for drug assistance, the annual contribution is capped at 20% of the household's annual disposable financial resources (Government paper to the Legislative Council, May 2026).
The same paper gives the case of a two-person household of a lung cancer patient: under the pre-relaxation method the annual contribution would have been about HK$36,400 (contribution ratio 20%), and after a new application was approved in 2026 the contribution is about HK$9,000 (contribution ratio 5%); this is an individual case and does not represent other households' contributions.
For how to apply and the means test, see Samaritan Fund, Community Care Fund Medical Assistance Programmes and Cancer financial support in Hong Kong; for medical fee waivers, see Applying for a medical fee waiver.
Roughly how much do cancer tests cost at private hospitals?
Among the private hospitals and medical centres this site checked, the 8 that publish a fee for a plain whole-body trunk PET-CT scan charge from HK$15,200 to HK$18,390, and the 11 that publish a fee for a plain chest CT scan charge from HK$2,900 to HK$5,230.
For each institution's fees, see PET-CT fees compared and CT fees compared; for the specialties involved in each cancer, see How to choose a doctor.
| Test | Compiled by this site: fee range at private hospitals and medical centres that publish the item |
|---|---|
| PET-CT, plain whole-body trunk scan | 8 institutions, from HK$15,200 (HKBH East Kowloon Medical Centre, Hong Kong Baptist Hospital; skull base to upper thigh) to HK$18,390 (Gleneagles Hospital Hong Kong, outpatient price) |
| CT, plain chest scan | 11 institutions, from HK$2,900 (HKBH East Kowloon Medical Centre) to HK$5,230 (Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital, outpatient/general ward price) |
How do I compare private quotes?
When comparing, put the same item on the same basis: whether the package includes the doctor's fee and the anaesthetist's fee, the room class and length of stay, and which doctors or referral routes it applies to. Private hospitals must have a fee schedule covering all chargeable items, and patients have the right to know the charges before treatment (Department of Health, Code of Practice for Private Hospitals, July 2026).
Before a non-emergency procedure or admission, you can ask for a budget estimate of the service fees; the Department of Health has recommended 30 common non-emergency treatments and procedures for which private hospitals can provide a budget estimate before admission. For arrangements when using medical insurance, see Using medical insurance for a private specialist.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to pay for cancer treatment myself?
It depends on the drugs and services used: half of the 169 cancer drugs on the Hospital Authority Drug Formulary are already in the General or Special drug categories and are prescribed at the standard fee; self-financed drugs are paid for by the patient, and for self-financed drugs covered by the safety net, eligible patients can apply for assistance through the Samaritan Fund and/or the Community Care Fund Medical Assistance Programmes (Government reply to the Legislative Council, June 2026).
Does the HK$10,000 annual charge cap cover cancer drugs?
The annual charge cap applies to public charges for Eligible Persons but excludes self-financed drugs and devices and inpatient charges in special wards; drug charges at the standard fee are counted (Government paper to the Legislative Council, April 2025).