If a recommended self-financed drug or medical item is unaffordable, ask the treating doctor about the applicable fund rather than asking only whether the payment counter can discount it.
What to have ready
Current service, eligibility and entry point
The Samaritan Fund assists patients who meet specified clinical criteria and pass the means test for designated privately purchased items or technologies outside standard public charges. It does not cover every self-financed drug, private treatment or previously paid receipt merely because the cost is difficult to afford.
HA identifies means-test enhancements effective from 1 January 2026, so use the current leaflets and assessment requirements. The treating doctor first checks the covered medicine or item and clinical indication. Qualifying cases go to medical social workers for financial assessment, with assistance and any contribution determined for the individual case.
From enquiry to follow-up
- Ask the treating doctor whether the item is covered, whether you meet the clinical criteria and whether a medical-social-work referral is needed. Keep the proper item name and course information. A similar brand or another patient's approval does not establish eligibility for your treatment.
- Obtain the current assessment checklist and identify the household members, income, assets and evidence period included. The 2026 mechanism may differ from an old example online. Follow the actual requirements instead of selecting a historical version simply because its treatment of one item appears more favourable.
- Provide evidence as directed and ask how application, purchase and treatment are coordinated. Establish the subsidy, contribution and validity once determined. Clinicians manage treatment timing: do not stop medicine while waiting, or assume paying independently in advance guarantees reimbursement of the complete bill.
- Keep the decision, payment and treatment records and follow requirements for changes and renewal. If treatment changes, ask the doctor and worker to check the new item. Approval for one course is not automatic funding for every medicine prescribed later or for an altered purchase arrangement.
Limits to understand before applying
Samaritan Fund, Community Care Fund medical programmes and ordinary medical fee waivers are different arrangements. Failure to qualify for one does not establish approval for another. Ask the medical social worker which route matches the actual cost, clinical situation and eligibility.
Financial evidence must be complete, accurate and current, with follow-up checks or further information possible after application. Identify missing documents and explain why. Asking the worker to help understand a form is different from withholding required evidence or omitting an income source.
A practical support example
After a self-financed recommendation, the patient asks whether it is a specified item and obtains the referral, then assembles the worker's financial checklist. Record the contribution and validity after decision and recheck any medicine change. The fund is not a general refund service for pharmacy purchases.
Check clinical eligibility with the treating doctor, then use medical-social-work assessment under the current mechanism.
Official information and enquiries
These are the reference and service entry points for this guide. Check current fees, eligibility, and schedules with the authority. The preparation date is not each source's official update date.