Social
SCM 11/4/68
SOCIAL SECURITY
PLANS OUTLINED
A report, suggesting the consideration of certain aspects of social security in Hongkong, was tabled by the Inter-Departmental Working Party at the Legislative Council yesterday.
The report set out improve- ments which might be made immediately or reasonably soon, new schemes and steps to be taken towards the introduction of new schemes.
Tabling the report the Hon M. D. Irving Gass, the Colonial Secretary, said it set out clearly the present arrangements in respect of workmen's com- pensation, sickness allowance and medical care, indicated contin- gencies which at present were inadequately covered and made recommendations for further protection in the future.
He said, however, that the Council would not imagine that all the suggestions would prove possible or capable of implemen-
ОССИЙ
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It was the ordinary run of patients that would present а problem as obviously the ques- tion of whether the patient should be charged a full economic fee, a normal fee or should not be charged at all would depend on a means test.
Particular classes of cases employment injuries and traffic accidents should present little difficulty as the need to raise the charge would be determined by the circumstances in which the injury occurred.
The report said that the in- troduction of medical insurance would have to be preceded by investigations. The Inter-De- partment Working Party could not undertake this because it was a part-time working party and was not fully qualified.
However, a superficial study of the matter revealed certain problems including:
-whether medical insurance should be compulsory or not.
-the part to be played in such a scheme by private prac- titioners and hospitals sently catering for patients who would become insured people.
pre-
-the possible need to in- crease Government medical ser- vices should private practi- tioners be unwilling to become associated with the scheme and to meet the consequent need for visiting patients at home.
-the role of unregistered medical
persons permitted to practice under the Medical Clinics Ordinance.
Whether herbalists who were likely to continue to be consult- ed by large numbers of the pub- lic seeking medical treatment would have any part to play in a scheme of this nature.
The preliminary view of the scheme was that it be confined to people whose earnings or income did not exceed a certain level.
According to the report, in the particular circumstances of Hongkong, where the contrasts of living are so marked, a scheme to cover all the popula- tion would seem unrealistic.
Regarding maternity protec- tion, the report stated that while social insurance for cash mater- nity benefit merited only a low
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tation, or beneficial in the cir- cumstances of Hongkong.
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"Some of them may prove to be financially impos- sible. Nevertheless, there are various proposals which we may find it practicable to implement, at least in certain respects, and these are now being carefully examined," he said.
According to the report, existing protective arrangements where improvements might be made immediately or reasonably soon included medical care, maternity protection, and em- ployment injury.
Unnecessary
In relation to medical care, the report stated that public funds apparently were being spent to provide an unnecessari- ly heavy subsidy of services priority, labour legislati offered through the Medical and be enacted as soon as pHealth Department. create, for employed Pending the possible introduc- right to adequate materi] tion of social insurance for and protection from los medical .care, arrangements ployment due to preg should be made to collect realis- confinement.
tic charges, more closely related to the economic cost of treat- ment, from those people who could afford to pay.
This was a consider particular and immedia tance.
The report suggested schemes which might dered by Government.
This should also relate to cases where there was a clear obligation on another party to pay for the treatment.
They were social for sickness benefit, The report said that if present surance for medical ca] arrangements were to continue insurance for old age in preference to the introduction vivorship benefit, prac of a medical insurance scheme, sistance for widows, s it was essential that steps be surance for employmen taken to eliminate all misdirec- benefit, social insurance tion of subsidy. maternity benefit, socil.
ance for invalidity benefit, re- dundancy fund, and social in- surance for unemployment bene- fit.
The suggested steps to be taken towards the introduction of new schemes were that a full-time commission on social security be established, a re- search unit be set up, minimum wage legislation be reviewed and public expenditure on social services also be reviewed.
The commission should be set up to work out a programme of social security and the research unit should be established as 'a matter of urgency to enquire into outworkers (people who do work at home) and subsistence living. The research unit also should carry out other preli- minary investigations as neces~
sary.
Suitable minimum wage legis- lation should be prepared for use if this was found to be necessary by investigations, in- cluding those relating to out- workers and subsistence living.
Public expenditure on social services should be reviewed with due regard to the need for a planned social security program- me and to certain financial advantages.
The Working Party, composed of officers of the different De- partments closely associated with social security, was established carly in 1966.
It was formed to examine what is already being done in Hong- kong in this field and to suggest what improvements might be made.
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ed
it was a as being Depart-
as the by the inned to
wider- cial in- fit.
ess that ficulties which ible to ly ex-
ngkong doubts ality of
surance out the
general acceptability of the pro- posal for social insurance for old age and survivorship benefit."
Mr Gass said that in relation to cash maternity benefit, invali- dity benefit, unemployment benefit and the establishment of a redundancy fund, he could not hold much hope for the imple- mentation of such schemes in the i foreseeable future.
He said that the Working Party intended to examine the proposals in greater detail but there was much which lay out- side present capabilities.
2 2 AFR 1968
LUNDIS
53
Run 318
PIA
885414