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A spokesman for the Department of Health (DH) said today (July 26) that the selection process for the Elderly Health Assessment Pilot Programme has been completed and announced the list of participants to provide services under the programme.
The two-year Pilot Programme aims to facilitate the early identification and intervention of risk factors and health problems of elderly persons as well as promote healthy ageing. It will be launched by the Government in collaboration with non-profit-making non-governmental organisations (NGOs) by providing voluntary, protocol-based and subsidised health assessment to about 10 000 elderly people aged 70 or above who hold valid Hong Kong identity cards.
The Pilot Programme comprises three components, namely baseline health assessment, one to two follow-up consultations and health promotion.
"In March this year, the DH invited local non-profit-making NGOs to submit applications for participation in the Pilot Programme. After detailed assessment by the assessment panel, a total of nine eligible NGOs have been selected as participants of the Pilot Programme to provide services," the spokesman said.
The nine NGOs are Evangel Hospital, United Christian Nethersole Community Health Service, Chai Wan Baptist Church Community Health Centre Limited, the Po Leung Kuk, the Lok Sin Tong Benevolent Society Kowloon, the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Welfare Council, the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals, Sik Sik Yuen, and Haven of Hope Christian Service.
"The preparation work by the nine NGOs is in full swing and priority will be given to hard-to-reach elderly people who live alone and have not had health assessment and regular medical follow-up by health services before. Depending on the readiness of individual NGOs, they will start recruiting hard-to-reach elderly persons within the third quarter of 2013 to provide the service," the spokesman added.
The list of the nine NGOs under the Pilot Programme together with details of the NGOs' clinics are available on the DH Health Care Voucher Unit's website at www.hcv.gov.hk/files/pdf/EHAPP_Centres_Eng.pdf. Elderly people who are interested to join the programme may contact the relevant NGOs for details.
Ends/Friday, July 26, 2013
Issued at HKT 16:19
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