Author Archives: hksar gov

     The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health is today (March 20) investigating two cases of measles infection and hence reminded the public that vaccination is the most effective way to prevent measles.
 
     The first case involves a 38-year-old man with good past health, who developed fever on March 14 and rash on March 16. He attended the Out-patient Department of St Teresa’s Hospital on March 16. He sought medical advice at Queen Elizabeth Hospital on March 17 and was admitted for treatment. His throat swab specimen tested positive for measles virus upon laboratory testing. He is in a stable condition.

     The second case involves a 34-year-old man with good past health, who developed fever on March 5 and rash on the following day. He attended private clinics on March 6 and 7. He sought medical advice at Queen Elizabeth Hospital on March 9 and was admitted for treatment. His blood specimen tested positive for measles virus upon laboratory testing. He is in a stable condition and has been discharged.
 
     Epidemiological investigations revealed that both patients’ measles vaccination history was unknown and they did not have contact with measles patients during the incubation period. Both patients had no travel history during the communicable period (four days before to four days after the appearance of skin rash). Their home contacts have remained asymptomatic so far and have been put under medical surveillance.
 
     Investigations are ongoing and relevant contact tracing has been conducted. The places the two patients visited during the communicable period are listed below:
 

	Date	Time	Place	End of medical surveillance for contacts
First case	March 16	Noon to 5pm	Hong Kong Disneyland	April 6
		9pm to 11pm	Out-Patient Department, St Teresa’s Hospital
Second case	March 6	12.30pm to 1.30pm	Happy Veggies (1/F, Bayfield Building, 99 Hennessy Road, Wan Chai)	March 27
		2.30pm to 3pm	Links Medical Centre (Shop 3, G/F, Ming Hing Building, 149A Kiu Kiang Street, Sham Shui Po)
	March 7	10am to 11.30am	Links Medical Centre (Shop A, G/F, Fung Wong Chuen Building, 1 Ngan Fung Street, Wong Tai Sin)	March 28
		7.30pm to 9.30pm	The Madhouse (G/F, 16 Yim Po Fong Street, Mong Kok)
		9.30pm to 10.30pm	A vegetarian restaurant on G/F, 120 Fa Yuen Street, Mong Kok, Kowloon

 
     A spokesman for the CHP explained that measles is a highly infectious disease caused by the measles virus. It can be transmitted by airborne droplets spread or direct contact with nasal or throat secretions of infected persons, and, less commonly, by articles soiled with nose and throat secretions. A patient can pass the disease to other persons from four days before to four days after the appearance of skin rash.
 
     The spokesman reminded the public that the incubation period of measles ranges from seven days to up to 21 days. Contacts who are not immune to measles may develop relevant symptoms, such as fever, skin rash, cough, runny nose and red eyes, in the incubation period. They should observe if they develop such symptoms in the period. If symptoms arise, they should wear surgical masks, stop going to work or school and avoid going to crowded places. They should also avoid contact with non-immune persons, especially persons with weakened immunity, pregnant women and children aged below 1. Those suspected to have been infected are advised to seek medical attention as early as possible and reveal relevant contact history of measles to healthcare professionals.
 
     In Hong Kong, children are given the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine at 1 year old, followed by a second dose at Primary One under the Hong Kong Childhood Immunisation Programme. The coverage of MMR vaccination in Hong Kong is over 95 per cent at Primary One. 
 
     “Vaccination is the most effective way to prevent measles. Members of the public who are planning to travel to places with high incidence or outbreaks of measles should review their vaccination history and past medical history, especially people born outside Hong Kong who might not have received measles vaccination during childhood. The history of measles vaccination in Hong Kong is available in the CHP’s measles thematic page. Those who have not received two doses of measles-containing vaccines, with unknown vaccination history or with unknown immunity against measles are urged to consult their doctor for advice on vaccination at least two weeks before departure,” the spokesman said.
  
     Besides being vaccinated against measles, members of the public should take the following measures to prevent infection:
 

• Maintain good personal and environmental hygiene;
• Maintain good indoor ventilation;
• Keep hands clean and wash hands properly;
• Wash hands when they are dirtied by respiratory secretions, such as after sneezing;
• Cover the nose and mouth while sneezing or coughing and dispose of nasal and mouth discharge properly;
• Clean used toys and furniture properly; and
• Persons with measles should be kept out of school till four days from the appearance of rash to prevent spread of the infection to non-immune persons in school.

 
     For more information on measles, the public may call the 24-hour health education hotline 2833 0111 or visit the CHP’s measles thematic page. For outbreak news of measles outside Hong Kong or the latest travel health advice, please visit the website of DH’s Travel Health Service. read more

     Thirty-nine citizens who helped the Police fight crime were commended at the Good Citizen Award (GCA) Presentation Ceremony today (March 20).      Speaking at the presentation ceremony, Police Director of Oper… read more

     Hong Kong Customs seized about 3 200 suspected counterfeit goods with an estimated market value of about $520,000 at the Hong Kong Port of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB) on March 16. This is the first ever case of smuggling of suspected counterfeit goods by cross-boundary truck at the HZMB Hong Kong Port.

     Customs officers intercepted an incoming truck at the HZMB Hong Kong Port on March 16. A total of about 3 200 suspected counterfeit goods, including watches, footwear, clothing and leather goods, were found inside the cargo compartment of the vehicle. A 60-year-old male driver was arrested.

     Investigation is ongoing and the arrested man has been released on bail pending further investigation.

     Under the Trade Descriptions Ordinance, any person who imports or exports any goods to which a forged trademark is applied commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $500,000 and imprisonment for five years.

     Members of the public may report any suspected counterfeiting activities to Customs’ 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk).

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     The Secretary for the Civil Service, Mr Joshua Law, visited the Rating and Valuation Department (RVD) today (March 20) to learn more about the work of the department and meet with its management and staff of various grades to exchange views on matters of concern.

     Accompanied by the Permanent Secretary for the Civil Service, Mr Thomas Chow, Mr Law met with the Commissioner of Rating and Valuation, Mr Choi Lap-yiu, and the directorate staff to get an update on the department’s work including the assessment of properties for rates and Government rent, the management of related accounting and billing functions and the compilation of property market statistics.

     Mr Law later visited the Accounting and Billing Division, which is responsible for billing and management of rates and Government rent accounts, as well as handling departmental accounting work. He said he was pleased to learn that the RVD has been proactively implementing electronic services including online billing, account enquiry and payment, thus providing convenient and environmentally friendly services to the public.

     Mr Law then proceeded to the Enquiries, Receipt and Despatch Section to better understand colleagues’ work in handling public enquiries and providing logistics support services. He also visited the Rural Properties and Tenancy Services Division, where he was briefed by colleagues on how they handle rating, Government rent and related matters concerning village-type houses and rural properties.

     Before concluding his visit, Mr Law met with staff representatives of various grades at a tea gathering to exchange views on matters that concern them. He expressed his appreciation for colleagues’ efforts and encouraged them to continue to make dedicated efforts in providing quality and professional services to the public.

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     Following is a question by the Hon Shiu Ka-chun and a written reply by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Dr Law Chi-kwong, in the Legislative Council today (March 20):
 
Question:
 
     In December 2017, the Social Welfare Department (SWD) launched a three-year Pilot Scheme on Home Care and Support for Elderly Persons with Mild Impairment (the Pilot Scheme) to provide, on a co-payment basis, home care and support services to the elderly persons on the waiting list for the Integrated Home Care Services (IHCS) (Ordinary Cases).  The Pilot Scheme offers 4 000 service places.  SWD has commissioned a consultant to formulate a standardised assessment tool for use by the IHCS teams to conduct assessments on elderly persons, with a view to identifying elderly persons eligible for taking part in the Pilot Scheme.  In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) of the reasons for limiting the number of service places for the Pilot Scheme at 4 000;

(2) as SWD has commissioned a consultant to conduct a review on the effectiveness of the Pilot Scheme, of (i) the number, name list and qualifications of the members in the consultant team responsible for such task, (ii) the consultant fees involved, and (iii) the timetable for the review and whether the review will include public engagement activities;

(3) regarding the Pilot Scheme, of (i) the cumulative total amount of expenditure to date and the details of the various expenditure items, (ii) the expenditures for the previous and the current financial years, and (iii) the estimated expenditure for the next financial year; the cumulative total amount of funds allocated to date to service providers taking part in the Pilot Scheme, as well as the average cost per service session for each item of the services provided under the Pilot Scheme;

(4) of the details of the assessment tool, including the criteria adopted and a list of the items in the tool (with the whole assessment tool attached);

(5) of (i) the number of runs and (ii) the dates of the training programme on the use of the assessment tool conducted by SWD for members of the IHCS teams;

(6) of the respective numbers of elderly persons, since the introduction of the Pilot Scheme, who have (i) applied for joining the Scheme, (ii) undergone assessment, (iii) been assessed as being eligible for joining the Scheme, (iv) used the services provided under the Scheme (with a breakdown by the co-payment category to which they belonged), and (v) withdrawn from the Scheme, together with a tabulated breakdown by District Council district; the respective numbers of persons currently on the waiting lists for the various items of the services provided under the Scheme;

(7) of a breakdown of the number of elderly persons who have withdrawn from the Pilot Scheme by the reasons for withdrawal as set out in Table 1;

Table 1

Reason for withdrawal	Number of persons
(i) No suitable service providers/service packages
(ii) Expiry of the service period
(iii) To be/Having been admitted to subsidised community care services or subsidised/private residential care services, or to receive/receiving such services
(iv) Deceased
(v) Having carers such as family members or domestic helpers
(vi) Others (including hospitalisation and having left Hong Kong)
Total:

(8) in respect of each item of services provided under the Pilot Scheme, of (i) the number of elderly persons who are currently using the service, (ii) the percentage of such number in the total number of users of the various services under the Pilot Scheme, (iii) the average monthly number of users for the service, and (iv) the number of user-times to date for the service (set out in Table 2);

Table 2

Service item	(i)	(ii)	(iii)	(iv)
a. Escort service (for going out/medical appointments)
b. Meal service (meal delivery)
c. Personal care
d. Simple nursing care
e. Physical exercise
f. Home-making
g. Home safety assessment and health management
h. Purchase and delivery of daily necessities
i. Other services (e.g. support for carers)
Total user-times:

(9) of (i) the average waiting time for the various items of services provided under the Pilot Scheme and (ii) the average time per person for which they are used; and

(10) of the criteria adopted by SWD for setting the charges for meal service and other services provided under the Pilot Scheme at $54 per meal and $131 per hour respectively?

Reply:
 
President,
 
     My reply to the Member’s question is as follows:

(1) The Government launched the Pilot Scheme on Home Care and Support for Elderly Persons with Mild Impairment (the Pilot Scheme) in December 2017 to provide further assessments for elderly persons waitlisting for Integrated Home Care Services (Ordinary Cases) (IHCS(OC)) throughout the territory, and offer additional service quota for those elderly persons assessed to be of mild impairment. At the planning stage of the Pilot Scheme, the Social Welfare Department (SWD) set the number of service quota under the Pilot Scheme at 4 000 by making reference to the  number of elderly persons waitlisting for IHCS(OC) at the time.

(2) SWD commissioned the Sau Po Centre on Ageing of The University of Hong Kong (Sau Po Centre) to evaluate the effectiveness of the Pilot Scheme in February 2018.  The consultation team is led by Professor Terry Lum, Head of the Department of Social Work and Social Administration of The University of Hong Kong.  Other major members of the consultation team include the Director of Sau Po Centre and two other Assistant Professors, as well as several researchers. The total cost of the consultancy study is about $1.4 million. 
 
     The consultation team will conduct focus groups and interviews with the Approved Service Providers (ASPs), service users and their carers to collect their views on the Pilot Scheme during the evaluation process. The evaluation is expected to be completed by end-2019.

(3) The Community Care Fund provided a funding of $383 million to cover the expenditure involved in the Pilot Scheme. In the one-year period from the launch of the Pilot Scheme in December 2017 to December 2018, the total subsidy disbursed under the Pilot Scheme was about $22.26 million, which included subsidies for services provided to the participants, subsidies for staffing provided to ASPs, and subsidies for other service operation, etc. In addition, about $0.91 million was spent on administration costs, including the cost for the evaluation.  SWD does not have information on the average cost for each item of the services provided.

(4) SWD commissioned Sau Po Centre to design a simple and standardised assessment tool to identify elderly persons with mild impairment and analyse their service needs, so as to provide them with suitable home care and support services.  The accredited assessors of the Pilot Scheme have been using the assessment tool to conduct comprehensive assessments on such aspects of the elderly persons as their cognition/communication, mood/psycho-social well-being, functional status, health conditions, disease diagnoses, nutritional issues and procedures/treatments, etc. The assessment tool was designed with reference to the assessment tool of the internationally recognised InterRAI Check-Up. Due to copyright regulations, the assessment tool of the Pilot Scheme will only be provided to trained assessors for the purpose of conducting assessments.

(5) SWD and Sau Po Centre have so far conducted five rounds of training programmes for assessors, with the dates as follows:
(i) December 28, 2017 and December 29, 2017;
(ii) January 11, 2018 and January 12, 2018;
(iii) January 30, 2018 and January 31, 2018;
(iv) February 6, 2018 and February 7, 2018; and
(v) January 17, 2019 and January 24, 2019.

(6) to (9) As at end-December 2018, a total of 2 691 elderly persons waitlisting for IHCS(OC) were assessed upon being invited to join the Pilot Scheme, out of which 2 412 elderly persons were eligible and had applied to join the Pilot Scheme. Among them, 1 567 elderly persons had received the services and the subsidy payments, and their breakdowns by co-payment categories and service types are as follows:
 

Co-payment Category (Note 1)	No. of Persons	Service Type	No. of Persons
I	693	Home Services	994 (63.4 per cent)
II	715
III	79	Meal Services	343 (21.9 per cent)
IV	73
V	7	Home and Meal Services	230 (14.7 per cent)
Total	1 567	Total	1 567

Note 1: The five co-payment rates for meal services are set at 20 per cent, 30 per cent, 35 per cent, 40 per cent and 45 per cent of the service values, whereas the five co-payment rates for home services are set at 0 per cent, 9 per cent, 15 per cent, 21 per cent and 27 per cent of the service values.

     In addition, as at end-December 2018, a total of 43 elderly persons left the Pilot Scheme and their breakdown by reasons for termination of services is as follows: 
 

Reasons for Termination of Services	No. of Persons
Passing away	17
Admitted to residential care services	5
Admitted to subvented community care services	2
Withdrawn from services (Note 2)	19
Total	43

Note 2: SWD does not have information on the service users’ reasons for withdrawing from the services.

     Through the 55 IHCS teams of the 24 non-governmental organisations operating IHCS(OC), the Pilot Scheme provides elderly persons receiving services under the Pilot Scheme with the necessary home care and support services as soon as possible. At present, elderly persons do not have to wait for the relevant services.
 
     SWD does not have the breakdowns of the statistics of the Pilot Scheme by District Council districts, and the information on the average usage time per case, the average number of user-times per month of the services, etc.

(10) The prices for each meal and each hour of home services under the Pilot Scheme are set with reference to the permitted ceiling prices in respect of the relevant services recognised by SWD under the Pilot Scheme on Community Care Service Voucher for the Elderly. read more