Public CT and MRI waiting times in Hong Kong 2026: Hospital Authority figures by cluster, ways to be seen sooner, public and private fees

How long is the wait for a CT scan at a public hospital? Figures by cluster

The Hospital Authority triages radiological examinations such as computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) into Priority 1, Priority 2 and routine cases, and lists by cluster the median waiting time (the 50th percentile) for each category and the 90th percentile for routine cases.

The Hospital Authority calls the 90th percentile for routine cases the ‘longest waiting time’: nine in ten routine cases waited no longer than this figure, which does not mean every patient has to wait that long.

How long is the wait for an MRI at a public hospital? Figures by cluster

MRI uses the same categories and statistics as CT: a median for each of the three triage categories, plus the 90th percentile for routine cases.

Have waits got shorter over the last three years?

The Hospital Authority's overall median waiting time for routine CT cases was 69 weeks in 2023-24, 62 weeks in 2024-25 and 59 weeks in 2025-26 (up to 31 December 2025); its overall median for routine MRI cases was 92, 93 and 96 weeks in the same three years.

The Hospital Authority's overall 90th percentile waiting time for routine CT cases rose from 192 weeks in 2023-24 to 218 weeks in 2025-26 (up to 31 December 2025); over the same period its overall 90th percentile for routine MRI cases rose from 190 weeks to 212 weeks.

In its replies on the 2026-27 Estimates, the Health Bureau said CT and MRI services would increase by about 4,000 patient attendances in 2026-27 to raise overall capacity, with the aim of shortening patients' waiting times.

How is the order decided, and how can you be seen sooner?

Hospital Authority hospitals arrange radiological examinations according to doctors' assessment; patients with confirmed or suspected cancer are placed in a priority category and scheduled according to how urgent their condition is (Government reply to the Legislative Council, October 2021).

If your condition changes while you wait, you can tell your treating doctor, who assesses whether the examination's priority needs to change.

Cancer patients treated by the Hospital Authority who are clinically assessed by a doctor as eligible can be referred to a private provider for CT or MRI under the Project on Enhancing Radiological Investigation Services through Collaboration with the Private Sector (Radi Collaboration); Hospital Authority doctors invite patients during a consultation, patients do not need to apply, and those who decline continue to have their examination arranged by the Hospital Authority.

The programme's terms, effective from 1 January 2026, state that participants pay the service provider a co-payment for each radiology item at the level of the Hospital Authority's charge for non-urgent radiology services – Advanced items, and patients who meet the Hospital Authority's criteria may have part or all of the co-payment waived.

In April 2019 the Government told the Legislative Council that hospitals within each cluster refer patients to one another for radiological services, but there is no referral across clusters.

You can also pay for an examination at a private hospital or medical centre; for booking and the documents to bring, see Booking private imaging; some private hospitals have set fees for patients holding a Hospital Authority referral letter, see MRI and CT: public or private.

How much do CT and MRI cost, public and private?

From 1 January 2026, Eligible Persons pay for non-urgent radiology services at the Hospital Authority by item: Basic items free, Intermediate items HK$250 each, Advanced items HK$500 each (Hospital Authority schedule of charges for Eligible Persons); when presenting the proposed fee reform in March 2025, the Hospital Authority Chief Executive said CT and MRI are Advanced items.

For fees published by private hospitals and medical centres, see MRI fees compared and CT fees compared; confirm the fee with the hospital.

Common misunderstandings

‘The published longest waiting time is how long I will wait’: no. What the Hospital Authority calls the ‘longest waiting time’ is the 90th percentile for routine cases, meaning nine in ten routine cases waited no longer than this; the actual arrangement is decided by doctors according to the patient's condition.

‘Priority 1 means a scan within a few weeks, guaranteed’: no. The figures for each category are that category's median waiting time, meaning half of the cases waited no longer than this; they are not a deadline for each patient.

Frequently asked questions