'Govt Neglecting Elderly, Has No Mercy For Young'

The president of the Hong Kong Public Doctors' Association, Arisina Ma, has accused the government of neglecting the city’s elderly population and having “no mercy” for the younger generation.

Speaking on RTHK’s Letter to Hong Kong, Ma said Hong Kong was lagging far behind other developed places in providing care and support services for the elderly.

“Most elderly could only reside in shabby private homes where they were sometimes poorly treated,” she said.

“Despite the frequent occurrence of incidents and negligence, the families of the elderly could only choke with silent fury, since the wait for government subsidized places seemed endless.”

Ma also took aim at how authorities had attempted to limit the spread of Covid-19 to elderly care homes.

“The elderly are the most innocent yet the most affected by the epidemic. They did not attend vibrant social gatherings nor travel abroad nor benefit from economic activities,” she said. “Yet most Covid-19 patients are older adults, among which some have unfortunately passed away.”

Ma said many had been cut off from their families, because of strict visitation rules imposed by elderly homes. Others, she said, had been deprived of community support and rehabilitation services after day care centres suspended their services.

“How did the government officials respond to these? There was no apology, no condolence, not even a promise to evaluate the residential care services for the elderly.”

Turning her attention to how the government had treated the city’s younger generation, Ma said the anti-government protests last year had left a “deep wound on the young people.”

She said some had been hindered academically, some had been injured physically or psychologically, and some had been jailed.

Ma said the government had “no mercy” for them, and also accused the administration of being resentful towards those who had spoken up for social justice and been critical of the government.

“Health care workers, the press, social workers, religious figures and legal professionals have all been attacked by the politically influential government officials,” Ma said.

“Those in power never reflected on their shortcomings in governance. Instead, they blame the educators for instigating the youth and aggressively suppress them to ensure no educator would ever teach the students to think critically and independently.”