Increasing elderly population
and government fails to increase resources for the elderly
Reported by: Hailey Man, Karen Kwok, Brison Li & Fang Yi Chen
Edited by: Anna Kam
Graphics by: Jack Lung & Judy Li
Five hundreds residential care places and 300 subsidised day care places for the elderly will be provided in the next two years as a solution to the aging Hong Kong society, announced Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po during today’s
budget speech.
“It is obviously not enough. The number of waiting participants is much more than the given places, but it is better than none.” commented by Hung Kam In, district council member of Po Tat.
According to the Hong Kong Population Projections, the elderly population is estimated to rise to 19 percent in 2021, meaning there would be more than 1,400,000 elderlies at that time.
There are currently 40,630 people on the waiting list for residential places in elderly care centers. Those wanting government subsidized spots wait 39 months on average, while those on the list for private homes wait 10 months,
according to the Social Welfare Department.
According to the Hong Kong Population Projections, the elderly population is estimated to rise to 19 percent of the population in 2021, meaning there would be more than 1.4 million elderly people.
The limitations of medical care are also becoming increasingly serious as the population ages. Most elderly people need to wait for a long period of time to get treatment. For this reason, the risk of health insurance for the
elderly is increased.
There are 50,731 patients waiting for cataract surgery in public hospitals, according to the Hospital Authority, with an average waiting time for cataract surgery of 19 months. The longest expected waiting time is two years
and four months in the New Territory West District.
According to the Hospital Authority (HA), there are 50,731 patients waiting for cataracts in the Hospital Authority. The estimated number of new cases are about 21,000 per year. The average waiting time is about three years.
HA expects that the demand for surgery will continue to grow, since those suffering from cataracts increases with age.
Mr. Chan said during the press conference that “in terms of medical training, I expect more trainees doctors to work at public hospitals”.
Hung suggested that the government should relatively loosen up the qualification for recruitment of foreign medical professionals to solve the problem of long waiting time for public medical service.
Extra one month allowance to recipients of Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) old age allowance, old age living allowance and disability allowance will be provided. The government will also provide a one-off additional
$1,000 worth of Elderly Health Care Vouchers and increase the accumulation limit of vouchers to $8,000.
- Provide an extra 1month allowance to recipients of CSSA, Old Age Allowance, Old Age Living Allowance or Disability Allowance; similar arrangements will apply to Working Family Allowance and Work Incentive Transport Subsidy
- Provide a one-off additional $1,000 worth of Elderly Health Care Vouchers, and increase the accumulation .Allocate $1.36 billion to provide 500 residential care places and 300 subsidised day care places for the elderly, and to launch a pilot scheme to offer outreach services for private elderly homes
- Allocate $290 million funding to strengthen rehabilitation services, including increasing service places, support centres and relevant manpower mit of vouchers to $8,000