It used to be a habit for Hong Kong people to return to their hometowns for retirement, and there are also housing estates where Hong Kong people live in Zhongshan, Shunde and other places. The living spaces in mainland cities in the Greater Bay Area are comfortable and spacious, and the food and life culture are similar, which attracts many Hong Kong people to go north to live and recuperate. At present, Hong Kong elders can enjoy preferential treatment for the elderly from local residents by presenting Mainland Elderly Cards. The “money goes with everyone” policy provides portable welfare measures so that they do not have to give up Hong Kong’s various subsidies even if they move to the mainland, making the Greater Bay Area an ideal place for retirement.
However, some of the elderly care services suitable for Hong Kong people in nine cities in Guangdong Province are still in their infancy, and the response has not been as expected. In order to shorten the waiting time for residential care homes for the elderly, the Hong Kong government has purchased 400 places from two mainland nursing homes since 2014, one in Shenzhen and one in Zhaoqing, allowing the elderly to choose to stay. However, according to Legislative Council figures, only 282 elderly people have participated in the program so far, which is slightly more than half of the number of residential places. Some elderly people worry that the residential care home is too far away from Hong Kong, making it inconvenient for family members to visit them. Some elderly people are not familiar with the mainland's medical system or need to take medicine for a long time. The thought of returning to Hong Kong for follow-up appointments to collect medicines on time has deterred them.
However, due to practical considerations such as living costs, senior care in the Greater Bay Area will still be attractive to Hong Kong people in the long run. Democratic Ideas started conducting a questionnaire survey five years ago to ask citizens whether they would like to go to the Greater Bay Area for further study, employment, retirement or life. Initially, among all age groups, people aged 70 or above were the least interested group, but since 2020, they have jumped to become the most interested group, reflecting that the elderly are the mainstay of the Greater Bay Area’s life circle. supporter.
The government is providing different facilitation measures to make Hong Kong people more willing to retire in the Greater Bay Area. The "Guangdong Plan" helps Hong Kong elders to still receive living allowances after moving to the mainland, and the number of applications has increased year by year to 19,257; the health care voucher program covers HKU-Shenzhen Hospital across the border, and more than 11,000 elders have used it to pay for care; "Hong Kong and Macau" "Yaizhitong" is recognizing 20 kinds of drugs and 13 kinds of medical devices as being usable in five specific hospitals in Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai and Zhongshan, so that the elderly do not have to readjust the habit of seeking medical treatment and taking medicine.
How to overcome geographical restrictions to stay in touch with family members and adapt to medical treatment habits have always been the biggest obstacles for Hong Kong people to move north for retirement. To develop a medical network, it is necessary to expand the list of drugs and equipment in the medical network, increase the places where medical vouchers can be used, and even allow them to be used to purchase mainland medical insurance. After clearing the customs in the future, the most difficult traffic obstacles at present will be easily solved. Hong Kong elders are increasingly interested in moving north for retirement. The government needs to encourage Hong Kong's medical and social welfare institutions to operate in the mainland so that they can continue to enjoy familiar and trusted services and enjoy Hong Kong-style quality of life at the cost of living on the mainland.
Note: For the survey results on democratic thinking, please refer tohttp://pathofdemocracy.hk/zh-hant/1c2s-index/.
Original content:https://www.thinkhk.com/article/2022-10/18/57707.html
