Public specialist outpatient waiting times 2026: how long Hospital Authority new cases wait in eight specialties (overview)
The Hospital Authority regularly publishes new-case waiting times for eight main specialties. From October 2025 to September 2026, the median waiting time for stable new cases ranged from 11 to 65 weeks across specialties and clusters, and the medians for urgent and semi-urgent new cases were 1 week or less and 2 to 7 weeks respectively. The actual waiting time is decided by healthcare staff, who triage cases according to the patient's condition.
How long do new cases wait in the eight specialties?
The table shows, for each specialty, the range across the seven hospital clusters (using the boundaries before the merger of the Hong Kong East and Hong Kong West clusters on 1 April 2026); click a specialty name for its detailed figures by cluster.
‘Stable (90th percentile)’ is what the Hospital Authority calls the ‘longest’ waiting time: nine in ten stable new cases are seen before this point.
| Specialty | Stable (median) | Stable (90th percentile) | Semi-urgent (median) | Urgent (median) | Total booked new cases |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ear, Nose and Throat | 24 to 54 weeks | 53 to 84 weeks | 4 to 7 weeks | 1 week or less | 102,323 |
| Ophthalmology | 24 to 70 weeks | 55 to 114 weeks | 4 to 6 weeks | Less than 1 week | 150,517 |
| Gynaecology | 19 to 58 weeks | 27 to 94 weeks | 4 to 6 weeks | 1 week or less | 60,011 |
| Medicine | 27 to 65 weeks | 50 to 98 weeks | 4 to 6 weeks | 1 week or less | 164,462 |
| Orthopaedics | 23 to 45 weeks | 53 to 81 weeks | 3 to 6 weeks | 1 week or less | 108,274 |
| Paediatrics | 10 to 25 weeks | 16 to 38 weeks | 4 to 7 weeks | 1 week or less | 28,313 |
| Psychiatry | 19 to 69 weeks | 69 to 104 weeks | 2 to 3 weeks | 1 week or less | 53,664 |
| Surgery | 27 to 48 weeks | 62 to 99 weeks | 4 to 7 weeks | 1 week or less | 186,075 |
How is the order of the wait decided?
Referred cases are usually first assessed by a nurse and then reviewed by a specialist, and are classified into three categories: urgent, semi-urgent and stable. The Hospital Authority's target is to keep the median waiting time for urgent and semi-urgent new cases within two weeks and eight weeks respectively.
The specialist outpatient new-case waiting times the Hospital Authority regularly publishes every quarter are listed for the eight specialties above, with no separate figures for specialties such as cardiology and gastroenterology and hepatology.
You can choose to book in another cluster, but healthcare staff might, depending on your condition, advise you to attend a clinic near your home.
How do I book? What does it cost?
Specialist outpatient clinics mainly see patients referred by Family Medicine Clinics, private doctors or family doctors.
Booking a new case requires a referral letter issued within the past three months by a locally registered doctor; for some specialties you can submit an application through ‘BookHA’ in HA Go, as shown in the app.
From 1 January 2026, Eligible Persons pay HK$250 per attendance at Hospital Authority specialist outpatient clinics and HK$20 per drug item (charged in units of 4 weeks), with some pathology tests and non-emergency radiology examinations charged separately; Non-eligible Persons pay HK$850 per attendance at specialist outpatient clinics (Hospital Authority fees and charges table).
If you have financial difficulty you can apply for a medical fee waiver; the Hospital Authority also has an annual charge cap of HK$10,000, which requires an application and has no means test.
Frequently asked questions
Which specialties' waiting times does the Hospital Authority publish?
Eight specialties: Ear, Nose and Throat, Gynaecology, Medicine, Ophthalmology, Orthopaedics, Paediatrics, Psychiatry and Surgery, updated every quarter.
Can I book in a cluster with a shorter wait?
You can choose to book in another cluster, but healthcare staff might, depending on your condition, advise you to attend a clinic near your home.
What should I do if my condition gets worse while I wait?
If your condition gets worse while you wait, you can contact the clinic to ask for an earlier appointment; in an emergency, go to an Accident and Emergency Department.