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HK commits $2B to support the disabled

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-08-15 19:02

HONG KONG: The Hong Kong government has allocated 19.2 billion HK dollars ($ 2.48 billion) to provide a wide variety of services for people with disabilities in the 2008-2009 financial year, Hong Kong Secretary for Labor and Welfare Matthew Cheung Kin-chung said here on Saturday.

This represented 6.4 percent of the Special Administrative Region (SAR) government's total public expenditure, he said, adding that the services include the provision of medical, education, rehabilitation, employment and transport services as well as Comprehensive Social Security Assistance and Disability Allowance.

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Speaking at a opening ceremony of the 3rd Hong Kong Conference for People with Mental Handicaps, Cheung said that the Labor and Welfare Bureau would provide an additional 671 residential care places and 480 day care places for people with disabilities in the 2008-2009 financial year.

"Tender will soon be invited for converting the former South Kwai Chung Jockey Club Polyclinic and the former Ma Tau Wai Girls' Home in Ho Man Tin into two integrated rehabilitation service centers to provide a total of 490 residential places and 450 day training or vocational rehabilitation service places, meeting 73 percent and 93 percent of the targets for this year respectively," he said.

Noting that timely support for people with disabilities was crucial to their development and integration into the community, Cheung said that since January in 2009, the SAR government has set up 16 one-stop district support centers to enhance integrated home- based training and support services for the group and their family members.

"We see progressive development of the rights of people with disabilities over the years, and will organize a series of public education activities to promote the spirit of equality, accessibility and integration to tie in with the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Hong Kong.  Efforts will also be made to encourage the group to participate in social, cultural and art activities on an equal footing to develop their potential and facilitate their integration into society," he said.

The 3rd Hong Kong Conference for People with Mental Handicaps, organized by the Hong Kong Joint Council of Parents of the Mentally Handicapped, is aimed at enhancing public understanding of the mentally impaired and fostering an inclusive society. The theme this year is to encourage people with disabilities to lead prosperous lives and promote a positive attitude of the public towards them.