Abstract
A survey was conducted in a district hospital's Emergency Department (ED) to estimate the possible impact of levying fees on non-urgent and semi-urgent cases. Three hundred and eighty-three subjects in the non-urgent and semi-urgent categories were successfully recruited for analysis. Among them, 14.4% and 31.3% said they would not come to the ED when the proposed fees were $100 and $150 respectively. The mean consultation fee deemed appropriate for non-urgent and semi-urgent cases was $97.7 (95% C.I. 90.3, 105.2). The effect of a nearby clinic - ‘Pilot Medical Centre’ - was also examined. Among the respondents, 56.1% said they would go to a nearby clinic for medical treatment if the fees were comparable in the two places; and 50.4% said they would not come to ED for treatment if the ED charged more than the nearby clinic. However, although 84.6% of the subjects rated the present ED service as satisfactory, 62.4% expected better service when they have to pay a fee. This will put the already stretched frontline staff under higher pressure. Without defining the scope of ED service, imposing a fee on a previously free service will put the ED in a difficult position.