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The following is issued on behalf of the Community Care Fund Secretariat:
The Chairperson of the Community Care Fund (CCF) Task Force under the Commission on Poverty (CoP), Dr Law Chi-kwong, the President of the Hong Kong Dental Association (HKDA), Dr Sigmund Leung, and a CCF Task Force member, Mr Clarence Leung, today (April 26) visited a dental clinic operated by a non-governmental organisation (NGO). Accompanied by the Chief Executive of Yan Chai Hospital Board, Mr Alfred Wong, they met with dentists and elderly beneficiaries participating in the CCF Elderly Dental Assistance Expanded Programme to learn about the implementation of the programme.
Dr Law said, "The Elderly Dental Assistance Programme was expanded in September 2015 to cover elderly persons who are Old Age Living Allowance recipients aged 80 or above. So far, over 10 000 elderly people have applied for services provided under the Expanded Programme. Thanks to the staunch support of private dentists and dental clinics operated by the NGOs participating in the programme, more needy elders are able to eat normally which helps upkeep their health."
The HKDA is responsible for implementing the Elderly Dental Assistance Programme. The President of the HKDA, Dr Leung, said, "Currently, about 400 private dentists and 57 dental clinics operated by NGOs have joined the Expanded Programme, and registered as community care dentists. We will continue our efforts to recruit more dentists through different channels to participate in the programme and provide dental services to eligible elderly persons."
Dr Law added, "We would consider expanding the target beneficiaries of the Expanded Programme to other age groups progressively, having regard to the progress of implementation and the overall manpower situation in the local dental profession. The CCF has earmarked $800 million to meet the expenditure of the programme in the first three years. If necessary, the CCF will consider seeking an additional allocation from the CoP to tie in with the progress in the implementation of the programme."
Ends/Tuesday, April 26, 2016
Issued at HKT 15:55
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