Medical Check Ups
Medical Check Ups
Public Hospital CT/MRI Referrals: Arrangements, Discounts & Fees in 2025
Author
Bowtie Team
Updated on
2025-11-17
Disclaimer: This article is translated with the assistance of AI.
Tired of long waits for CT/MRI scans at public hospitals? With a simple referral letter, switch to private clinics for quick, discounted diagnostics and beat the queues. Dive into the perks, costs, and collaborative programs!
Do Hong Kong Public Hospitals Provide CT and MRI Scan Services?
When you feel unwell, the general procedure is to first visit a general outpatient clinic, then get referred to the appropriate specialist outpatient clinic, and if necessary, obtain a referral letter to go to Public Hospitals for CT (computed tomography) or MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scans.
For example, in the case of ENT (ear, nose, and throat) , the wait time for specialist outpatient clinics has been as long as 80 weeks for stable new cases, and even semi-urgent new cases take 4 to 7 weeks .
According to the Hospital Authority’s Key Performance Indicators Report published in December 2024, which covers the performance metrics for various medical services in public hospitals from January to December 2024, the waiting times for CT and MRI in public hospitals are as follows:
| CT Scan | MRI Scan | |
| Percentage of emergency cases completed within 24 hours | 98.9% | 97.8% |
| Median waiting time for emergency cases | 2 weeks | 3 weeks |
| Median waiting time for semi-urgent cases | 26 weeks | 32 weeks |
| 90th percentile waiting time for stable cases | 200 weeks | 197 weeks |
Besides waiting for public healthcare services, public hospitals also offer private medical services for patients who want faster check-ups. The fees for these examinations are as follows:
- The cost for a CT scan ranges from $740 – $5,480
- The cost for an MRI scan ranges from $3,000 – $20,000
Hong Kong Public Hospital Referral Discounts
Many private medical institutions (clinics and hospitals) in Hong Kong offer government referral discounts, allowing patients to get examinations at discounted prices simply by holding a referral letter.
Institutions such as Hong Kong Baptist Hospital, CUHK Medical Centre, Evangel Hospital, Gleneagles Hospital Hong Kong, Kowloon Peninsula Medical Centre, Exact Medical Group, Alpha Medical Diagnostic and Laboratory Center, Trinity Medical Centre, and The Specialists Hong Kong all provide these discounts:
| Hospital/Clinic | Discount Offer |
| Gleneagles Hospital Hong Kong | Up to 45% off |
| CUHK Medical Centre | 30% off |
| Hong Kong Baptist Hospital | 35% off |
| Union Hospital | 30% off |
| Kowloon Peninsula Medical Centre | Up to 50% off |
| Exact Medical Group | Up to 30% off |
| Alpha Medical Diagnostic and Laboratory Center | Up to 40% off |
| Trinity Medical Centre | Up to 50% off |
| The Specialists Hong Kong |
|
Can Public Hospital Cancer Patients Get Free CT or MRI Scans?
The Hospital Authority’s Public-Private Partnership Radiology Imaging Programme subsidizes eligible cancer patients to receive free CT or MRI scans at private institutions. The service providers include:
- Central Medical Diagnostic Centre (Central)
- Hong Kong Adventist Hospital – Stubbs Road
- St. Paul’s Hospital
- Alpha Medical Diagnostic Centre (Jordan)
- Alpha Medical Diagnostic Centre (Tsim Sha Tsui)
- iRad Medical Diagnostic Centre
- Hong Kong Adventist Hospital – Tsuen Wan
- Union Hospital
How to Participate and What is the Process?
Hospital Authority doctors will invite eligible patients to join the program during their consultation and register them on the spot. Patients do not need to apply themselves. Patients can choose a service provider from the Hospital Authority’s list, and the hospital will arrange the referral. The diagnostic results will be sent via an electronic platform to the patient’s public hospital for doctors to plan future treatment.
Sources
- 1 Hospital Authority
- 2 Major private hospitals and medical institutions
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