Abstract - Health And Social Policies For Ageing Populations (Hong Kong)

Hong Kong has experienced rapid demographic changes over the last three decades, with declining fertility and population ageing. "Ageing in place as the core, institutional care as back-up", "Promoting a continuum of care in subsidized residential care services", and "Offering assistance to most needy elderly citizens" are the Government's key policy objective for elderly care. The overarching policy for health services is well-established and accepted duty of care to ensure that "no one is denied adequate medical treatment through lack of means". Currently, health services in Hong Kong are delivered by a mix of public and private providers under the stewardship of Food and Health Bureau. The elders are the main users of the public services under the heavily subsidised public health system in Hong Kong. On the other hand, the majority of welfare services are provided by Non-government Organisations (NGOs) and the private sector commissioned by Social Welfare Department (SWD) under the Labour and Welfare Bureau. At the end of 2012, the SWD has contracted 126 service teams for the elderly including enhanced home and community care service teams, integrated home care services teams, etc. and a diverse range of residential care homes to meet different care needs of the elders. The SWD also supports the Residential Care Homes to improve their capability, ensuring that elderly residents will receive proper care. However, there exist inefficiencies in service provision due to the fragmentation and compartmentalisation in the integration of care between health and social sector. This could be better optimised across, and within, the elderly care continuum through service re-organisation, and better coordination and collaboration with different providers of elderly services. This paper presents the challenges existing in and across the health and social sector, and the options to address the problems.

About the Speaker - Prof Yeoh Eng-Kiong

JC School of Public Health and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine,
The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong