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Members of the Committee on Trust Fund for SARS found that some families of deceased SARS patients and recovered patients had made steady progress over the past 12 months.

"They are generally more positive and forward looking now," a committee spokesman said today (July 6).

Members were encouraged to hear that the families and recovered patients had found the assistance provided by the Trust Fund helped tide them over the difficult period. The recovered patients had also been taking good care of their own health and had worked hard to improve their physical and psychological well-being.

Since the establishment of the SARS Trust Fund in last November, committee members had been closely monitoring the well-being of the recovered SARS patients and the family members of SARS deceased patients.

They had made arrangements to meet some of the patients and family members of the deceased from time to time, the spokesman said.

Members had arranged a tea gathering in March and a dinner in June with the beneficiaries of the fund.

It was observed that the emotions of the families with deceased SARS patients had stabilised. They had moved on and were ready to face their new lives, the spokesman said.

While some of the recovered SARS patients could not resume work at present because of their health situation, others had continued with their employment; some had tried to work as far as possible and secured part time employment, the spokesman added.

Committee members were glad to learn that the families they had met were appreciative of the assistance offered at a time when they needed it most. Some recovered patients were grateful that the Trust Fund was able to provide timely financial assistance to cover the increase in medical spending as a result of their SARS infection.

They were more confident of their future, and those who had not resumed work were looking forward to fully returning to normal life, committee members observed.

A spokesman for the Health, Welfare and Food Bureau said: "The Government stands ready to continue to assist the recovered patients on their way of medical and psychological recovery. We are now conducting the six-monthly medical examination for recovered patients receiving assistance to ascertain their health condition.

"As regards families of the deceased patients, we will continue to provide welfare assistance for those in need. Our frontline social workers are all ready to help."

As of the end of June, 1,011 applications had been received - 315 were from the deceased category, 692 from recovered SARS patients, and four from "suspected" patients treated with steroids.

Of the 760 cases approved, 244 were deceased cases and 516 were recovered/"suspected" cases. So far, 120 applications have been rejected.

The $150 million Trust Fund was set up in November, 2003, to provide financial assistance on compassionate grounds to three categories of applicants who were affected by the SARS outbreak in Hong Kong between March and June last year - families of deceased SARS patients; recovered SARS patients; and "suspected" SARS patients who had been treated with steroids, but subsequently found not to have SARS.

Recovered SARS patients and "suspected" SARS patients treated with steroids would be provided with monthly financial assistance and medical expenditure as appropriate under the Trust Fund until they have recovered from their dysfunction, subject to a ceiling total payment of $500,000 per patient.

Members of the community had also set up "the Business Community Relief Fund for Victims of SARS", the "We Care Education Fund" and the "Project Blossom" etc. to provide assistance to those in need. As of the end of June, about $25 million had been disbursed under these community-initiated schemes.

Ends/Tuesday, July 6, 2004

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