Editorial | Revision to Hong Kong mortuary fee plan shows alertness to public sentiment
Responding to a public outcry, authorities have arrived at a more sensible solution to address the space constraints in the city’s mortuaries
Lo is talking about more than a mere refinement. Under the original proposal, after three days of free storage in a public hospital mortuary, the daily charge would have risen incrementally – HK$100 per day from day four, HK$200 from day 18 and HK$550 from day 34 onwards. Now, after free storage for 28 days, the fee will be HK$200 per day, rising to HK$550 from the sixth week.
Lo stressed that the move was not meant to boost government income but to reduce pressure on the Hospital Authority, as some mortuaries were operating beyond capacity. “We aim for these charges to guide the public towards prudent use of our existing healthcare resources,” he said.
Most death certificates are issued within three days. Lo said cremation could usually be carried out within three weeks, as the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department provided a slot within 15 days. Cheng Chi-kit, chairman of the Funeral Business Association, said the process could take 20 days.
If pressure on public hospital mortuaries remains a problem, the government could look at whether streamlining after-death processes would reduce the time needed to store bodies.