Hong Kong to Introduce Online Dental Booking Amid Long Wait Times

HONG KONG: The local health authorities have announced plans to implement an online booking system for government-run dental clinics by the end of this year. The move comes amid concerns over long queues and wait times for public dental services in the city.

Dr. Ronald Lam Man-kin, the Director of Health, stated on Friday that the government is currently in discussions with contractors regarding the online booking platform. He acknowledged that some assistance may be required for elderly residents unfamiliar with digital systems, suggesting help stations could be established to facilitate the booking process.

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Managing Expectations

While the online system aims to streamline access to dental care, Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau tempered expectations, cautioning against a “utopian” notion of eliminating queues entirely. “Under the shortage of resources and supply, distributing preregistration tickets is not the most ideal arrangement,” Lo said.

He added, “In the long term, the best case scenario, of course, will be not needing to queue up. It is a utopian idea that all medical services will be available right away without the need to queue up.”

The preregistration system for dental consultations was introduced in 2022 to address the issue of patients queuing overnight for services. However, an Audit Commission report last month revealed that some patients still endured queues of up to seven hours at four clinics in December 2023 and February 2024.

The report also highlighted a significant decrease in the number of available clinic quotas, falling from 40,322 in the 2018-19 financial year to 20,337 in 2022-23. Concurrently, public demand for these services increased, with 99.2% of available spots being filled, compared to 92.3% in previous years.

Currently, the Department of Health offers free dental services for emergency pain relief and extractions at 11 clinics, operating no more than twice a week per facility. At nine of these clinics, preliminary registration for emergency consultations begins at midnight and ends when the quota is filled, requiring patients to return later in the day for their appointment.

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Addressing Manpower Shortages

Authorities have attributed the reduced clinic quotas to manpower shortages exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the easing of pandemic restrictions, the manpower shortage has persisted, preventing authorities from increasing quotas to pre-pandemic levels.

The introduction of an online booking system is expected to alleviate some of the challenges faced by patients seeking access to public dental services in Hong Kong. However, as Secretary Lo Chung-mau cautioned, it may not entirely eliminate the need for queuing, given the ongoing resource constraints and high demand for these services.