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The Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, visited the frail elderly and the severely mentally handicapped in two institutions at Sai Ying Pun Community Complex this morning (February 4) to celebrate with them the Second Day of the Lunar New Year.
Accompanied by the District Social Welfare Officer (Central Western, Southern and Islands), Ms Pang Kit-ling, Mr Cheung first visited the Caritas Evergreen Home to extend New Year greetings to some 100 elders. He brought for them mandarins and cookies and presented gifts to the bedridden residents to wish them good health and good luck. He also joined the elders for their New Year celebration.
Mr Cheung then visited the St James' Settlement Parkside Residence and the Parkside Integrated Service Team to get a first hand understanding of its residential service for the disabled.
He brought some ginger bread snack for the residents. He watched with delight a talent show presented by the residents and joined them in singing Lunar New Year songs.
"The Government is very concerned about the needs of persons with different types of disabilities, especially the demand for residential places for the severely disabled persons. We have been continuously increasing the provision of subsidised places," Mr Cheung said.
He noted that there were at present about 11 600 subsidised places in residential care homes for persons with disabilities, up by 81% over 1997. An additional 1 015 subsidised residential care places for the disabled were provided in the last three years.
"The provision will reach its peak in these two years. A total of 955 new residential care places are gradually coming on stream. Of these, 466 (nearly 50%) are for the severe grade," he said.
The Po Leung Kuk Kwai Chung Integrated Rehabilitation Centre and the SAHK LOHAS Garden, converted respectively from the former South Kwai Chung Jockey Club Polyclinic and the former Ma Tau Wai Girls' Home, had already come into operation since late last year. "Together, they provide 504 residential places and 475 places for day care services. In addition, the conversion of the former O Pui Shan Boys' Home into a hostel for the severely disabled persons is expected to be ready in the first quarter of 2012," he elaborated.
The Government will also support non-governmental organisations in developing self-financing residential care homes for the disabled, and will provide more high-quality service options for them through the Pilot Bought Place Scheme for Private Residential Care Homes.
Ends/Friday, February 4, 2011
Issued at HKT 12:52
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