Quick Guide to the Accident & Emergency Department (A&E): 6 Things to Know in Hong Kong

The emergency room provides accident and emergency medical treatments for patients with its own triage system to classify patients into 5 emergency levels in hopes of providing immediate treatment to patients with urgent needs. Read this guide for a more comprehensive understanding of the accident and emergency services in Hong Kong.

Introduction to the Accidents & Emergency department

The Accident and Emergency (A&E) services, or the emergency room in Hong Kong are provided by 18 public hospitals under the Hospital Authority (HA) and 4 private hospitals. The emergency room provides medical support to patients with critical illness and injury, as well as to victims of disasters.

In the emergency room, patients with more serious conditions will be prioritized for medical attention. HA adopts a triage system which classifies patients into 5 categories, on which based the orders to give treatments — not necessarily first-come, first-served.

Current A&E waiting time at hospitals

Public hospital waiting time

You can find the reference waiting time of all the public hospital’s emergency rooms here on the Hospital Authority website. The waiting time of different emergency rooms varies with locations and time, but usually ranges from 1–3 hours.

Note that the data is collated from other patients’ waiting time in past hours and is for reference only.

Private hospital waiting time

You may refer to the estimated waiting time provided on the websites of Gleneagles Hospital and Union Hospital. For emergency services in other private hospitals, please contact the hospital for more information. You can find out the contact information in the next section.

For non-emergency situations, if you do not wish to wait at the A&E service, you may consider turning to 24-hour outpatient services in private hospitals.

List of all Accident & Emergency departments in Hong Kong

A&E services are provided at 18 public hospitals and 4 private hospitals in Hong Kong. We have summed up the list for your reference below:

A&E services at public hospitals

Hong Kong Island

Hospital	Address
Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital (Eastern Hospital) Tel: 2595 6111	3 Lok Man Road, Chai Wan, Hong Kong
Queen Mary Hospital Tel: 2255 3838	102 Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong
Ruttonjee Hospital Tel: 2291 2000	266 Queen's Road East, Wan Chai, Hong Kong

Kowloon

Hospital	Address
Caritas Medical Centre Tel: 3408 5678	111 Wing Hong Street, Sham Shui Po, Kowloon
Kwong Wah Hospital Tel: 2332 2311	25 Waterloo Road, Kowloon
Princess Margaret Hospital Tel: 2990 1111	2-10 Princess Margaret Hospital Road, Lai Chi Kok, Kowloon
Queen Elizabeth Hospital Tel: 3506 8888	30 Gascoigne Road, Kowloon
United Christian Hospital Tel: 2379 9611	130 Hip Wo Street, Kwun Tong, Kowloon

New Territories

Hospital	Address
Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital Tel: 2689 2000	11 Chuen On Road, Tai Po, New Territories
North District Hospital Tel: 2683 8888	9 Po Kin Road, Sheung Shui, New Territories
North Lantau Hospital Tel: 3467 7000	8 Chung Yan Road, Tung Chung, Lantau Island
Pok Oi Hospital Tel: 2486 8000	Au Tau, Yuen Long, New Territories
Prince of Wales Hospital Tel: 3505 2211	30-32 Ngan Shing Street, Shatin, New Territories
St. John Hospital Tel: 2986 2100	Cheung Chau Hospital Road, Tung Wan, Cheung Chau
Tin Shui Wai Hospital Tel: 3513 5000	11 Tin Tan Street, Tin Shui Wai, New Territories
Tseung Kwan O Hospital Tel: 2208 0111	No. 2 Po Ning Lane, Hang Hau, Tseung Kwan O, New Territories
Tuen Mun Hospital Tel: 2468 5111	23 Tsing Chung Koon Road, Tuen Mun, New Territories
Yan Chai Hospital Tel: 2417 8383	7-11 Yan Chai Street, Tsuen Wan, New Territories

A&E services at private hospitals

Private hospital	Address
Gleneagles Hospital Hong Kong Tel: 2122 1333 (Service Enquiry & Appointment)	1 Nam Fung Path, Wong Chuk Hang, Hong Kong
Hong Kong Adventist Hospital - Stubbs Road Tel: 3651 8888	40 Stubbs Road, Hong Kong
Hong Kong Adventist Hospital - Tsuen Wan Tel: 2275 6688	199 Tsuen King Circuit, Tsuen Wan, New Territories
Union Hospital Tel: 2608 3388	18 Fu Kin Street, Tai Wai, Shatin, New Territories

Triage system of emergency room in Hong Kong

The triage system in the emergency room determines the treatment priority of patients. It aims to ensure early assessment and recognition of patients' conditions and reduce any unnecessary delay of treatment. The sorting of the triage system is performed by an experienced nurse using systemic and scientific methods.

Patients are classified into 5 categories according to their conditions:

• Critical
• Emergency
• Urgent
• Semi-urgent
• Non-urgent

Patients in critical situations are allocated top priority and will receive treatments from medical staff immediately, followed by emergency, urgent, semi-urgent and non-urgent in a descending level of seriousness.

Service targets of the system

The HA has set performance pledges on the waiting time for patients whose clinical conditions are triaged as critical, emergency or urgent.

• Critical: Immediate treatment
• Emergency: 95% of patients in this category will be treated within 15 minutes
• Urgent cases: 90% of patients in this category will be treated within 30 minutes

Note that private hospitals may have their own triage system with different methods of categorization. Check their websites for the most accurate information.

Costs of A&E services in Hong Kong

Public hospitals charges

For eligible persons (HKID holders), the cost of A&E service will be HK$ 180 per attendance, while it costs HK$ 1,230 per attendance for non-eligible persons. Beware of the long waiting time at public hospitals because of the high service demand.

However, patients suffering from or suspected to be suffering from diseases specified (e.g. COVID-19) under the prevailing International Health Regulations will be charged no fee at an emergency room. You can check the complete list here.ou can check the complete list here.

Private hospitals charges

The consultation fee of the emergency room in private hospitals varies from HK$ 330 – HK$ 1,300. Please be advised that the total charge is subject to the attending doctor’s discretion, procedure fees, and depends on the patient’s condition.

	Consultation fees (patients aged below 60)	Consultation fees (for patients aged 60 or above)
Union Hospital	HK$ 420 - HK$ 1,500	HK$ 370 - HK$ 1,380
Gleneagles Hospital Hong Kong	HK$ 420 - HK$ 1,500	-
Hong Kong Adventist Hospital - Stubbs Road	HK$ 1,000	-
Hong Kong Adventist Hospital - Tsuen Wan	HK$ 450 - HK$ 700	-

*All amounts are in HKD and were last updated in July 2024. No responsibility is accepted for any inaccuracies, errors, or omissions. It is always best to call ahead to make sure the information is still up-to-date.

Does health insurance cover A&E services?

Accident and emergency services, either provided in public or private sectors, are covered by health insurance plans. While local plans may have sub-limits, most comprehensive and international plans cover A&E care in full without any sub-limit. If you have any health insurance questions, contact an Alea advisor at hello@alea.care.

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