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The Hospital Authority has rejected claims circulating on social media that public hospitals overcharged diabetic patients by billing them HK$250 for attending a health talk.
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In a clarification issued on Saturday, the authority stated that the charge is not an admission fee for a lecture but an established statutory rate for personalized clinical treatment services, confirming that no overcharging occurred.
The public hospital operator clarified that standard health education activities—such as talks and support groups organized by hospital Patient Resource Centres—remain entirely free of charge for patients, carers, and members of the public.
However, patients referred by doctors to allied health clinics, diabetic nurse clinics, or family medicine clinics receive tailored medical care. For these individuals, attending an educational session forms the preliminary phase of a comprehensive treatment plan that includes professional health assessments, personalized dietary and lifestyle guidance, exercise planning, and continuous medical follow-up.
Healthcare specialists, such as dietitians, typically deliver essential dietary and disease management knowledge during the initial group session before conducting individual consultations and clinical evaluations immediately afterward.
The authority emphasized that the HK$250 fee covers this entire ongoing medical care package in strict accordance with the government's gazetted fee schedule for allied health follow-up consultations, rather than the talk alone.
