Reader TTS

I certainly believe in the Hong Kong government’s good intentions in granting local senior citizens a sum of HK$2,000 annually in medical vouchers for private health care. But there have

been numerous reports of the so-called misuse of these funds, including spending the money on Chinese herbal medicine tonics or dried seafood, or seeing optometrists for new eyeglasses.

Advertisement In the past, such use of the funds attracted strong criticism from different quarters, as they went against the government’s original intention in introducing this scheme,

which was to boost primary health care for over-65s. However, I find it very ridiculous that senior citizens cannot use their coupon to pay their bills at government clinics and hospitals.

If senior citizens were able to use the coupon at government clinics or hospitals, that would make the scheme more flexible and useful to them. Hong Kong is a rapidly changing society. So,

the rules and regulations should be changed in tune with the times. But the government appears too insensitive to the needs of the senior citizens. With 78 per cent of elderly patients still

choosing public clinics, years after the launch of the scheme and in greater numbers since then, perhaps the government should think about changing the rules to allow the use of the health

care voucher to settle bills in government clinics and hospitals. Advertisement