We must deal now with ageing society
Our ageing population is a serious issue in Hong Kong and is creating many problems for our society.
It will place a financial burden on the government. As the number of the elderly keeps increasing, there will be more single elderly citizens. As they get older, many will have to stop work and some will be dependent on allowances from the government. They will need help from welfare schemes such as the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA). The government’s expenditure on such payments will increase as this ageing population grows in size.
With more elderly people and a low birth rate, the city’s competitiveness could be adversely affected. We could see a decline in the workforce with not enough young people to fill all the vacancies on the job market, jobs that Hong Kong needs. The government will have to consider recruitment drives to attract people with the necessary training and talent from overseas to come and work here.
The increase in the number of elderly will also place an additional burden on our public hospitals. More patients will require treatment for chronic conditions.
Many elderly people will choose public over private hospitals, because they are a lot cheaper. If they are recipients of CSSA, the government will have to pay their bill at the public hospital.
The administration has to do more in the way of planning so that it can deal effectively with the problems linked to an ageing population. It needs to start planning its strategy.