Full fee waivers rise 20-fold to 280,000 after healthcare reform, minister says

About 280,000 patients have secured full fee waivers since Hong Kong’s public healthcare charges were overhauled at the start of the year, a 20-fold increase from the previous figure of 14,000, the health minister has said. Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau revealed the figures on Saturday as he defended the reform, which raised user fees for non-urgent and less serious services to reduce the gove