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The following is issued on behalf of the Community Care Fund Secretariat:
The Community Care Fund (CCF) will launch the Elderly Dental Assistance Expanded Programme on September 1 to extend the service to Old Age Living Allowance (OALA) recipients in phases, starting with those aged 80 or above in the first phase involving about 130 000 elderly people. The Expanded Programme enables more senior citizens who have financial difficulties and do not receive Comprehensive Social Security Assistance to benefit from free removable dentures and other related dental services.
The Chairperson of the CCF Task Force under the Commission on Poverty (CoP), Dr Law Chi-kwong, said at a press briefing today (August 25), "The Elderly Dental Assistance Programme was introduced in September 2012 to provide free removable dentures and other related dental services for low-income elderly persons who are users of the home care service or home help service schemes subvented by the Social Welfare Department. So far, about 1 400 elderly people have benefited from the Programme.
"Having regard to the response to the Programme and the operating experience, the CoP has decided to expand the beneficiaries of the Programme progressively to cover elderly persons who are OALA recipients. Taking into account the existing manpower situation of the local dental profession and the number of eligible elderly people, we will implement the Expanded Programme in phases. We will start receiving applications from those aged 80 or above next month.
"Since OALA recipients have gone through the relevant means test, there will not be an additional income check on the applicants under the Expanded Programme."
The CCF has earmarked about $800 million to meet the expenditure of the Expanded Programme in the first three years. If necessary, the CCF will consider seeking additional allocation from the CoP to tie in with the implementation progress of the Expanded Programme.
The Hong Kong Dental Association (HKDA) is responsible for implementing the Elderly Dental Assistance Programme for the CCF.
The President of the HKDA, Dr Sigmund Leung, said, "Currently, about 300 dentists have joined the Expanded Programme and registered as 'community care' dentists to provide the necessary denture services. More than 170 elderly centres and community centres (i.e. district service units) located in various districts of the territory will handle the applications and arrange the first dental appointment for eligible elderly persons. Eligible senior citizens can bring along the necessary documents to apply in person at the district service units starting on September 1."
The eligibility and application procedures of the Expanded Programme as well as a list of district service units are available at the CCF website (www.communitycarefund.hk) and the HKDA website (www.hkda.org). Relevant information leaflets and the list of district service units will be distributed at the elderly centres in various districts from September 1 onwards. For enquiries, please call the Programme hotline at 2525 8198.
Ends/Tuesday, August 25, 2015
Issued at HKT 17:49
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