New tiered mortuary fees in HK public hospitals spark financial concerns

The mortuary of Hong Kong’s public hospitals will begin charging fees next year, with the funeral industry predicting an additional financial burden of up to HK$4,000 for affected families.

According to the new arrangements under the enhanced medical fee waiver mechanism by the Hospital Authority (HA), charges will be calculated from the date the body is placed in the mortuary. 

The first three days will remain free of charge. However, a daily fee of HK$100 will be charged starting from the fourth day.

If the body remains unclaimed, the daily storage fee will increase to HK$200 from the 18th day onward, and will rise to HK$550 from the 34th day onward.

A funeral industry professional pointed out in an online post that it is common for the deceased to be stored in hospital mortuaries for about one month before funerals.

"Currently, most remains are stored for three to four weeks before the funeral," he said, adding that a one-month storage would cost around HK$4,000. 

He stated that it would be impossible to book crematorium services within three days, due to the time required to acquire relevant documents and limited availability.

Additionally, the HA will implement special transitional arrangements from January to March next year to facilitate residents who need to apply for medical fee waivers.

The authority has established a dedicated team to assist patients in handling matters related to medical fee waiver applications.