Hong Kong regularises pilot subsidy scheme to support elderly waiting for residential care services
- Scheme originally launched in 2017, provides monthly voucher worth HK$15,909 to elderly waiting for spots at subsidised long-term care services
- Financial Secretary Paul Chan says new measure part of efforts to ‘support the elderly, persons with disabilities and children’
Hong Kong’s financial chief announced plans on Wednesday to regularise a pilot scheme to subsidise 4,000 elderly people for residential care services, as part of the latest budget measures to boost both residential and community support for the elderly.
Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said in his speech for the 2022-23 budget that the authorities would regularise the Pilot Scheme on Residential Care Service Voucher for the Elderly to offer an additional option for elderly people in need of care but were still waiting for a government-subsidised place.
Originally launched by the Social Welfare Department in 2017, the scheme provides eligible residents, who are on the central waiting list for care and attention places at subsidised long-term care services, with a voucher value of HK$15,909 (US$2,039) a month to cover accommodation, meals, nursing and other services from recognised residential care homes.
Official statistics show that a total of 23,097 applicants have been wait-listed for care and attention places as of the end of last month, for an average duration of 19 months.
The scheme was among a series of measures Chan put forward to support the elderly as well as persons with disabilities and children, as part of a total additional annual expenditure of more than HK$1.9 billion.