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Winnie Wong

Jess Ma

Quotas at some public dental clinics in Hong Kong were filled on Monday, the first day of operation using a waiting list introduced to combat absenteeism, but not all elderly residents were satisfied with the new arrangement.
Some retirees expressed concerns about the lack of computer literacy among many elderly people, despite health authorities offering help and assuring patients they would be informed of a waiting list opportunity through a phone call by the Department of Health.
The department said on Monday that three people on the waiting list, all aged 65 or older, were notified a day earlier of the available time slots and they arrived at the clinics before 8.30am for registration.
The usage rate at the public dental clinic in Kowloon City and Kennedy Town, the two facilities that offered services on Monday, was 102 per cent and 107 per cent.
Amy So, 60, a retiree who lives in Tsuen Wan, described the waiting list system as “better than nothing”, although she was worried the process was too rushed for elderly patients, who were expected to arrive within two hours of receiving a call to claim their slots on the waiting list.
“Do you expect us to stand by and wait for their call? No one would do that. It’s feasible if you happen to live nearby, but it’s like winning the lottery,” she said.
So also pointed out that some elderly patients did not intentionally miss their appointments, but gave up from running late or because they were feeling unwell.
“I spent half an hour looking for the way today, and I have been following the directions on Google Maps,” So said, adding she left her home at 7am for the appointment.
When asked if she would rush to the clinic immediately after receiving a backup phone call, she replied: “I will see if it is convenient at that time, and I will try to go. Nowadays, transport is very convenient.”
The department announced the waiting list system on Friday following the absence of 40 out of 151 individuals who were allocated quota spots at its six dental clinics through a new online registration system.
The individuals who failed to attend their appointments on Tuesday or Thursday last week cited reasons such as conflicting schedules or simply forgetting about the booking. The no-shows accounted for 26 per cent of all bookings.
Under the waiting list arrangement, elderly people aged 65 or above who have completed the online registration but are not selected by the computer for an immediate appointment are placed on a waiting list ballot with priority.
If a person given a slot is unable to attend the appointment the next day, those on the waiting list will be notified of the opening by phone and told to arrive at the designated clinic by 8.30am.
If there are still vacancies on the day of service, others on the waiting listed are notified via phone at around 9.30am and instructed to show up by 11.30am.
Resident Edward Yu said the missed appointments should not be considered a waste but rather reflected that the authorities’ arrangements were not perfect.
“The authorities need to fact-check [whether the person will arrive as scheduled],” said the 68-year-old retiree. “Many elderly people are illiterate, do not know how to use computers and do not even have phones.”
Yu criticised Hong Kong’s dental healthcare system as being “10 years behind other regions”.
“In the past, people even had to queue on the streets, which is completely unreasonable,” he said. “The waiting list system is considered a basic progress. In a civilised society, it is important to train oneself to be familiar with computers.”

The Department of Health introduced the new online registration system for public dental clinics on December 30.
Half of the online quota is allocated to people aged 65 or above. People who are successfully allocated an appointment will receive a confirmation notification via SMS.
Kitty Hse Mei-yin, a consultant overseeing dental services at the department, told a radio show on Monday the absenteeism rate was 20 per cent under the new booking system.
About 70 per cent of the absentees were aged 65 or above.
Admitting that the new absenteeism rate was higher than the 10 per cent tallied between January and October last year, Hse said greater promotion of the new booking system had attracted more new applicants, which in turn could have contributed to more people giving up their allotted appointments.
“However, they might not know what the service offers before registering. When they realise the service is unsuitable for their needs or that something else came up, they might drop out.”
Hse added that when asked by staff why they had given up their appointments, patients cited various reasons, including finding out that the clinics only catered to emergencies instead of offering teeth cleaning services, and realising that the 8.30am registration time clashed with work hours.


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Switch to online booking system and waiting list arrangement aimed at easing appointment process, but some elderly patients still struggling with it


Switch to online booking system and waiting list arrangement aimed at easing appointment process, but some elderly patients still struggling with it.


Hong Kong society

Ageing society

Hong Kong public dental clinics fill quotas, but waiting list draws complaints

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Switch to online booking system and waiting list arrangement aimed at easing appointment process, but some elderly patients still struggling with it

Switch to online booking system and waiting list arrangement aimed at easing appointment process, but some elderly patients still struggling with it