Elderly forced to queue at 2am for dental care, concern group claims
Lack of public services and high cost of going to a private practice leave many lining up at government clinics for emergency treatment
It's a long and painful wait and they don't get much sleep, but elderly people still queue up in the early hours of the morning at one of the few government dental clinics in the city.
They know there is only a small chance they will be able to receive emergency treatment.
But their numbers are significant, said Au Woon-chun, 73, speaking for the Respect Elderly Rights Concern Group.
"Some of us will queue up at 5am for [one of the limited consultation chips], but even that is too late. Sometimes we get up as early as 2am," Au said.
"Many of us elderly can't afford the high [private dental] fees, but there are basically no public services either."
People of all ages compete for limited spaces at 11 government clinics - including just one on Hong Kong Island and two serving the whole of Kowloon - that provide some dental services.
These are open to the public one or two mornings or afternoons per week for emergency treatment and pain medication only. The rest of the time the clinics attend only to civil servants.