Hong Kong extends free mortuary storage period to 28 days

Hospital mortuary storage spaces increased by 124% to 3,360 in 2024.

Hong Kong’s Hospital Authority has revised the public hospital mortuary charge by extending the free storage period from three to 28 days, following review and feedback from the public and stakeholders.

The authority noted that the number of deaths in public hospitals has been steadily rising from 32,000 in 2007 to over 41,000 in 2024, up by 28%.

Meanwhile, the number of hospital mortuary storage spaces has increased from 1,500 to approximately 3,360 during the same period, marking a 124% rise.

The ratio of mortuary storage spaces to hospital beds has increased from 1:18 in 2007 to 1:9 in 2024, it added.

The authority issues over 95% of death certificate applications within three working days and more than 99% within seven working days.