CE tables elderly welfare package
January 15, 2014
Chief Executive CY Leung has unveiled measures to improve elderly welfare, such as increasing subsidised residential care places, doubling the healthcare voucher amount to $2,000, and studying extending the Old Age Living Allowance to Guangdong.
Delivering his policy blueprint for 2014 today, Mr Leung said the Elderly Commission will study the feasibility of expanding the Community Care Service Voucher pilot scheme to cover residential care services. The Government has earmarked $800 million to pay for 3,000 residential care service vouchers in three phases from 2015. Taking this into account, about 5,000 additional subsidised residential care places will be available for the elderly within the current term of office, Mr Leung said.
He also proposed to further double the annual voucher amount to $2,000 within this year, and regularise the assistance programme, which will allow the elderly to have access to private dental services.
The Government will consider expanding the Old Age Living Allowance to Guangdong, and relaxing asset limits.
Other measures include providing additional resources for elderly centres and the Community Care Service Voucher for the Elderly scheme, injecting $50 million into the Elder Academy Development Foundation, and expanding the $2 travel scheme to cover franchised minibuses.
