XN000022-1991-11-20 — Page 2

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 1991

1

SHW ON CARE FOR THE ELDERLY

THE

SECRETARY DEBATE ON

FOLLOWING IS THE FULL TEXT OF THE SPEECH OF THE FOR HEALTH AND WELFARE, MRS ELIZABETH WONG, IN THE MOTION CARE FOR THE ELDERLY IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TONIGHT (WEDNESDAY):

MR DEPUTY PRESIDENT,

INTRODUCTION

IN

ATTEND THIS DEBATE

I'VE

CALLED

FOR

TO

UPON MY PREPARING

ΤΟ KEEP ME COLLEAGUES TO COME TO THIS CHAMBER TO LEND THEIR EARS, COMPANY AND GIVE ME COURAGE AND JOINTLY WE THANK ALL THE MEMBERS THEIR VIEWS, THEIR ADVICE AND THEIR MANY VALUABLE SUGGESTIONS THAT MAY WILL TAKE ON BOARD. HONOURABLE MEMBERS MAY ALSO BE AWARE, OR

OF BACK TO THE HANSARD REPORT INTERESTED TO KNOW THAT IN LOOKING SIMILAR DEBATE IN THIS COUNCIL IN 1971, ALMOST TWENTY YEARS AGO, NOT SO LONG AGO EITHER, THE CONCERNS OF HONOURABLE MEMBERS THEN THE PROBLEMS POSED BY HONG KONG'S YOUNG POPULATION.

WE

BE

A

AND

WERE

MET THE

JUST AS 20 YEARS AGO THE GOVERNMENT ANTICIPATED AND CHALLENGE OF A YOUNG POPULATION THEN, SO TODAY IT IS RIGHT THAT WE ARE ANTICIPATING AND FORMULATING RESPONSES TO THE CHALLENGE POSED AGING POPULATION. IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO ANTICIPATE FUTURE NOW, THAN TO EVADE THE INEVITABLE ISSUE LATER.

BY AN PROBLEMS

I'D LIKE TO START BY REINFORCING SOME STATISTICS REFERRED TO BY MEMBERS. I'D LIKE TO MENTION THESE STATISTICS FROM ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE BECAUSE A COIN MUST ALWAYS BE LOOKED AT FROM TWO ANGLES.

FROM THE LET ME START BY REFERRING TO SOME FACTS AND FIGURES SUMMARY REPORT OF THE RECENTLY COMPLETED 1991 HONG KONG POPULATION CENSUS. THE MEDIAN AGE ROSE FROM 22 IN 1971 TO 26 IN 1981 TO 32 TODAY. THIS IS IN PART BECAUSE ELDERLY PEOPLE ARE LIVING LONGER. AND DO YOU KNOW, TEN YEARS AGO, THEORETICALLY AT LEAST, EACH SENIOR MEMBER OF OUR

CURRENTLY, SUPPORT.

THIS SOCIETY COULD RELY ON ELEVEN PEOPLE FOR ELEVEN HAS BEEN REDUCED TO ONLY EIGHT, IT WILL BE FURTHER REDUCED TO SIX IN TWENTY YEARS' TIME. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? IT MEANS THAT FROM THE EQUAL, HE FROM THE WORKING PERSON'S POINT OF VIEW, ALL THINGS BEING WILL BE SHOULDERING 66% MORE RESPONSIBILITY THAN TEN YEARS AGO AND PUT IT, IN ANOTHER WAY, THE SAME PERSON WILL HAVE TO WORK HARDER AND BE THAT MUCH MORE PRODUCTIVE JUST TO MAINTAIN THE OF TODAY.

ΤΟ

THAT MUCH STANDARD

BE

BY

SOME OF THE HONOURABLE MEMBERS HAVE ALREADY REMINDED US I THINK OF THAT SOME OF US HERE WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THE STATISTICS AND BE PART THIS "RESPONSIBILITY" ALTHOUGH WE MIGHT STILL THINK OURSELVES TO

T YOUNG AT HEART. SO, THERE WILL BE MORE ELDERLY PEOPLE

THOUGHT! FEWER WORKING PEOPLE. THIS IS A SOBERING REALITY WE HAVE TO FACE! AND I AM SO GLAD THAT

SUPPORTED THIS IS THE THE HONOURABLE MR

HOWARD YOUNG IS HERE.

/AT PRESENT,