What does a radiologist do 2026: referrals for X-ray, ultrasound, CT and MRI, public and private fees, checking specialist registration
Radiology (Medical Council specialty code S25) images the body by X-ray, ultrasound, radionuclide, MRI and other methods, and also includes related interventional diagnostic and treatment procedures (Hong Kong Academy of Medicine, Specialty Descriptions, April 2025). Whether to scan, and which part, is decided by the treating doctor according to the patient's condition; our analysis: public hospital tests are arranged during Hospital Authority treatment, and for a self-paid scan at a private hospital or medical centre, bring a doctor's referral or test request as each requires.
What does a radiologist do?
Radiology images the body using X-ray, ultrasound, radionuclide, MRI and other methods, and also includes related interventional diagnostic and treatment procedures, and comes under the Hong Kong College of Radiologists (Hong Kong Academy of Medicine, Specialty Descriptions, April 2025); the specialty's name on the Medical Council register is Radiology (S25). The specialties that also come under the Hong Kong College of Radiologists and have their own codes on the register are in the table below; in addition, Palliative Medicine (S47) is under the joint responsibility of the Hong Kong College of Physicians and the Hong Kong College of Radiologists. For the Chinese and English names of other specialties, see Chinese–English table of medical specialties.
Whether to have a scan, which part of the body to scan and whether to use a contrast agent are decided by the treating doctor according to the patient's condition.
| Specialty (Medical Council specialty code) | Scope | Chinese name |
|---|---|---|
| Radiology (S25) | Imaging of the body by X-ray, ultrasound, radionuclide, MRI and other methods, including related interventional diagnostic and treatment procedures | 放射科 |
| Interventional Radiology (S67) | A specialty under Radiology; diagnoses and treats a range of conditions by minimally invasive methods under image guidance | 介入放射科 |
| Nuclear Medicine (S27) | Diagnosis and treatment of disease with radioactive drugs, including gamma imaging and PET scans | 核子醫學科 |
| Clinical Oncology (S26) | Cares for patients with confirmed or suspected cancer, is responsible for diagnosis and investigation, and treats cancer by methods other than surgery, such as radiotherapy, chemotherapy and biological therapy, together with palliative and psychological care | 臨床腫瘤科 |
Who is responsible for radiology at a private hospital?
A private hospital's diagnostic radiology service must be overseen by a specialist in radiology (or a related field), with regular reviews of the facilities, equipment and staff training; day-to-day operation is supervised by a Part I diagnostic radiographer registered under the Allied Health Professions Ordinance (Cap. 359), and a Part I radiographer must also be on duty during service hours (Department of Health, Code of Practice for Private Hospitals, July 2026).
Do X-ray, CT and MRI scans need a referral? How do the public and private routes work?
Our analysis: tests at public hospitals are arranged by the Hospital Authority during treatment; for a self-paid scan at a private hospital or medical centre, a referral or test request from a registered medical, dental or Chinese medicine practitioner or a chiropractor is still required — a radiographer may not perform diagnostic imaging without one, except in an emergency, and a dentist, chiropractor or a Chinese medicine practitioner outside the Chinese Medicine Hospital of Hong Kong may only refer for specified imaging tests (Radiographers Board Code of Practice, December 2025); institutions differ in the document format they ask for. There are three common routes: having the test at a public hospital while receiving treatment from the Hospital Authority, taking a Hospital Authority referral letter to a private hospital or medical centre that offers set fees, or paying for it yourself at a private hospital or medical centre; the documents to prepare and the fees are in the table below.
‘Eligible Persons’ in the table mainly means holders of a Hong Kong Identity Card and children under 11 who are Hong Kong residents; for details, see Public healthcare fee reform 2026; for a public and private comparison for MRI and CT scans, see MRI and CT scans: public or private?.
| Item | Public hospital (Hospital Authority) | Private hospital with a Hospital Authority referral letter | Private hospital or medical centre |
|---|---|---|---|
| How to start | Have the test at a public hospital while receiving treatment from the Hospital Authority | With a Hospital Authority referral letter, ask a hospital or medical centre that offers set fees | As each institution requires |
| Documents to prepare | Hong Kong Identity Card | Hospital Authority referral letter (as each institution requires) | A doctor's referral or test request (as each institution requires); if using medical insurance, the documents the insurer requires |
| Fees | Non-emergency radiology services for Eligible Persons: Basic items (such as X-ray) free, Intermediate items (such as ultrasound) HK$250 per item, Advanced items (such as CT and MRI) HK$500 per item (from 1 January 2026) | Some hospitals or medical centres have separate set fees or discounts, for example HKBH East Kowloon Medical Centre (Hong Kong Baptist Hospital): plain CT brain HK$1,241, plain MRI brain HK$3,444 | Charged by test item; for ranges, see the next section |
| Cost protection | An annual charge cap of HK$10,000 (excluding inpatient charges in special wards and self-financed drugs and devices), by application, with no means test; those in financial difficulty can apply for a medical fee waiver | Depends on your medical insurance cover | Depends on your medical insurance cover |
Roughly how much do X-ray, ultrasound, CT and MRI cost?
From 1 January 2026, Eligible Persons are charged by item for non-emergency radiology services at the Hospital Authority: Basic items are free, Intermediate items cost HK$250 per item and Advanced items HK$500 per item; X-ray is a Basic item, ultrasound and mammography are Intermediate items, and CT, MRI and interventional treatment are Advanced items (Hospital Authority Chief Executive, March 2025). CT and MRI scans during a hospital stay are included in the acute bed charge of HK$300 per day (Hospital Authority Chief Executive, March 2025).
The fees published by the private hospitals and medical centres this site checked are in the table below; pricing bases differ (outpatient, standard room or a single fee), and for inpatients the charge is calculated separately according to room class; institutions differ in stating whether the radiologist's fee is included. For each institution's fees, see X-ray fees compared, Ultrasound fees compared, CT fees compared and MRI fees compared.
| Test | Public (Eligible Persons, non-emergency) | Compiled by this site: fee range at private hospitals and medical centres that publish the item |
|---|---|---|
| Chest X-ray (1 film) | Free (basic item) | About HK$255 to HK$560 (13 institutions) |
| Upper abdominal ultrasound | HK$250 per item (Intermediate item) | About HK$2,100 to HK$5,080 (10 institutions) |
| CT brain (plain) | HK$500 per item (Advanced item) | About HK$1,910 to HK$3,690 (13 institutions) |
| MRI brain (plain) | HK$500 per item (Advanced item) | About HK$5,500 to HK$9,990 (13 institutions) |
How do I check whether a doctor is a Radiology specialist?
On the Medical Council of Hong Kong website, choosing ‘Radiology’ (S25) in the Specialist Register opens the list of doctors registered in that specialty; searching by name shows the specialty and the specialist registration number in the specialist registration field of the doctor's record. For the steps, see How to check a doctor's registration and specialty.
A doctor must be on the Specialist Register to hold himself or herself out as a specialist, and can use only the title of the specialty in which he or she is registered (Medical Council, Code of Professional Conduct for the Guidance of Registered Medical Practitioners, section 7, October 2022).
For what qualification abbreviations on a name card mean, see What is FHKAM?.
What should I ask, and what should I tell them, before a scan?
A private hospital's diagnostic radiology service must have written procedures, including taking a detailed medical history from the patient (such as allergy history), explaining clearly before the patient signs the consent form, and identifying patients with a cardiac pacemaker or metal implant in the body who are to have specific imaging examinations; before anyone enters the controlled area of the MRI, they must be checked for implants in the body and for any ferromagnetic objects they are carrying (Department of Health, Code of Practice for Private Hospitals, July 2026).
Is the fee an outpatient or inpatient price? Does it include the radiologist's report fee and the contrast agent?
Is a doctor's referral letter or test request needed? Is there a set fee for holders of a Hospital Authority referral letter?
If I have a drug or contrast agent allergy, may be pregnant, or have an implant such as a pacemaker, do I need to tell you in advance?
Do I need to fast or stop any medicines before the test? When will the report be ready, and will it go to the patient or the referring doctor?
Is my medical insurance accepted, can the hospital bill the insurer directly, and is pre-approval needed?
What to bring: a doctor's referral letter or test request, and previous images and reports; for the pre-test preparation published by each institution, see CT fees compared and MRI fees compared.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Radiology and radiotherapy?
Radiology (S25) is responsible for imaging the body and also includes related interventional diagnostic and treatment procedures; treating cancer by methods other than surgery, such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy, falls within the scope of Clinical Oncology (S26) (Hong Kong Academy of Medicine, Specialty Descriptions, April 2025). Both come under the Hong Kong College of Radiologists and are different specialties on the Medical Council register; for an introduction to Clinical Oncology, see What is the difference between Clinical Oncology and Medical Oncology?.
What is Interventional Radiology?
Interventional Radiology (S67) is a specialty under Radiology that diagnoses and treats a range of conditions by minimally invasive methods under image guidance (Hong Kong Academy of Medicine, Specialty Descriptions, April 2025). Interventional treatment is an Advanced item among non-emergency radiology services, at HK$500 per item for Eligible Persons from 1 January 2026 (Hospital Authority Chief Executive, March 2025); the Hospital Authority's inpatient charge is all-inclusive, and charges during a hospital stay are included in the acute bed charge of HK$300 per day (Hospital Authority Chief Executive, March 2025).
What is the difference between Nuclear Medicine and Radiology?
Nuclear Medicine (S27) diagnoses and treats disease with radioactive drugs, including gamma imaging and PET scans; Radiology (S25) images the body using X-ray, ultrasound, radionuclide, MRI and other methods (Hong Kong Academy of Medicine, Specialty Descriptions, April 2025). Both come under the Hong Kong College of Radiologists and are different specialties on the Medical Council register; for PET scan fees, see PET-CT fees compared.
How much does an MRI scan cost at a government hospital?
MRI is an Advanced item among non-emergency radiology services, at HK$500 per item for Eligible Persons at public hospitals from 1 January 2026 (Hospital Authority Chief Executive, March 2025); MRI scans during a hospital stay are included in the acute bed charge of HK$300 per day (Hospital Authority Chief Executive, March 2025).
Is a scan cheaper at a private hospital with a Hospital Authority referral letter?
Some private hospitals and medical centres have separate set fees or discounts for patients referred by the Hospital Authority; for example, HKBH East Kowloon Medical Centre (Hong Kong Baptist Hospital) charges HK$3,444 for a plain MRI brain and HK$1,241 for a plain CT brain, and Gleneagles Hospital Hong Kong takes 30% off its outpatient X-ray fees (hospital websites checked by Book a Doctor on 1 to 2 October 2026); for other hospitals' arrangements, ask the hospital directly.