Transcript of remarks by SLW on elderly and rehabilitation services
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Reporter: How would the Government spend the $30 billion reserved for elderly and rehabilitation services?
Secretary for Labour and Welfare: We are very happy and grateful for the allocation of $30 billion to continue to improve the elderly and rehabilitation services. As I said, it demonstrates the strong commitment of the Government and is a forward-looking measure to continue to enhance our elderly and rehabilitation services. It also shows that enhancement of our elderly and rehabilitation services will and needs to be our policy priority in the coming future.
Reporter: What would be the concrete measures to use that money?
Secretary for Labour and Welfare: As you know, the Elderly Commission is formulating an Elderly Services Programme Plan in which they have proposed a number of recommendations. After that, we will also start to update our Rehabilitation Programme Plan in which a number of recommendations will also be made in the process. We will take into account the recommendations of these two services programmes. I would like to stress that the improvement to the elderly and rehabilitation services is a continuous process. For example, this year we have put forward a number of initiatives to continue to enhance our elderly and rehabilitation services. You can also take a look at the resources put in by this term of Government. As regards elderly services, our expense on the elderly has been increased from $43.6 billion (in 2012-13) to $75.3 billion this year. As regards rehabilitation services, the overall resource in support of persons with disabilities has also been increased from $23.3 billion to $31.5 billion. It will be a continuous process in enhancing the elderly and rehabilitation services.
Reporter: Previous reports revealed that there are a lot of problems in elderly care homes, for example, staff often neglect the needs of patients. Does the Government have any concrete measures to prevent these problems from happening?
Secretary for Labour and Welfare: Yes sure. As announced before, we have in six areas introduced 16 new measures, including strengthening the monitoring and investigation process, improving our process in handling complaints from residents and services users, reviewing relevant legislation, and also increasing and enhancing the transparency of information regarding elderly homes. We will also involve the community in monitoring the service standard of elderly homes and residential care homes for persons with disabilities. Also, we will enhance the training of personnel working in elderly homes and residential care homes for persons with disabilities. We hope that with all these measures, we will continue to improve the overall service standard of these services.
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)
Ends/Monday, February 27, 2017
Issued at HKT 12:43
Issued at HKT 12:43
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