A&E waiting times at every public hospital

The Hospital Authority publishes how long patients are waiting at each of its 18 accident and emergency departments, refreshed every 15 minutes. This page lists them all, shortest wait first; the map beside it shows each hospital with its wait, nearest first once you allow location.

Hospital Authority figures, published 31/10/2026 1:45AM (Hong Kong time), shortest semi-urgent wait first. Anyone in a critical or emergency condition is seen at once regardless of these times — if it is an emergency, call 999.

HospitalUrgent (cat. 3)Semi / non-urgent (4–5)Longest 5%
St John Hospital0 minute0 hour0 minute / 0 hour
North Lantau Hospital16 minutes1 hour33 minutes / 1.5 hours
Prince of Wales Hospital34 minutes1.5 hours73 minutes / 4.5 hours
Tin Shui Wai Hospital14 minutes1.5 hours28 minutes / 2.5 hours
Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital36 minutes2 hours69 minutes / 3.5 hours
Princess Margaret Hospital41 minutes2 hours78 minutes / 6 hours
Ruttonjee Hospital26 minutes2 hours44 minutes / 4 hours
North District Hospital31 minutes2.5 hours55 minutes / 5 hours
Pok Oi Hospital23 minutes2.5 hours31 minutes / 4 hours
Yan Chai Hospital23 minutes2.5 hours41 minutes / 6 hours
Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital38 minutes3.5 hours81 minutes / 6 hours
Caritas Medical Centre27 minutes3.5 hours83 minutes / 7 hours
Queen Mary Hospital34 minutes3.5 hours63 minutes / 6.5 hours
Tuen Mun Hospital21 minutes3.5 hours39 minutes / 6 hours
Queen Elizabeth Hospital17 minutes4 hours37 minutes / 6.5 hours
Kwong Wah Hospital34 minutes4.5 hours77 minutes / 7.5 hours
United Christian Hospital25 minutes5 hours61 minutes / 7.5 hours
Tseung Kwan O Hospital26 minutes6.5 hours53 minutes / 9 hours

What the categories mean

  • Category 1 – critical and category 2 – emergency: treated immediately or within about 15 minutes; not shown as a queue because there is none.
  • Category 3 – urgent: the target is treatment within 30 minutes for 90% of patients. The "typical" figure is the median wait right now.
  • Categories 4 and 5 – semi-urgent and non-urgent: the bulk of attendances and the queue that varies most by hospital and hour. "Longest 1 in 20" is the 95th percentile — the wait a few unlucky patients see.

Choosing a hospital

Waits move hour by hour: the same hospital can be the shortest at 3 pm and the longest at 9 pm. The map beside this list places every A&E with its current wait and, once you allow location, orders them by distance — a 20-minute longer wait at a hospital 5 minutes away usually beats the reverse. Private hospitals are not in the feed.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How current are these waiting times?
The Hospital Authority updates the feed every 15 minutes and this page reads it every time it loads, keeping a copy for at most two minutes. The publication time is printed above the table.
Does a shorter wait mean I should go there?
Usually, if it is also close. Waits change hour by hour, so a hospital 5 minutes away with a 20-minute longer wait is normally still the faster choice. Anyone critical or in an emergency is treated immediately at any A&E — in an emergency call 999 rather than comparing waits.
Which patients do these times apply to?
The "urgent" figure is category 3; the "semi/non-urgent" figure is categories 4 and 5, which is most walk-in attendances. Categories 1 and 2 are seen at once and have no queue.
Are private hospitals included?
No. The feed covers the 18 Hospital Authority emergency departments only. Private hospitals publish their own figures, if at all.
Live data from Hospital Authority A&E waiting-time feed, updated every 15 minutes
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