Govt seeks to reassure caregivers over trial scheme
Chris Sun says caregivers will retain their eligibility for government subsidies when they are hospitalised. Photo: RTHK
Welfare chief Chris Sun said low-income caregivers don't need to worry about their subsidy being cut when a trial scheme offering help to them begins on Monday.
The trial is part of the government's efforts to build a database for carers, which was first announced in last year's Policy Address.
From Monday morning, the Hospital Authority will notify the Social Welfare Department when a caregiver receiving a low-income subsidy needs to spend time in hospital, to see what help they need.
Officials will give the family a call or pay a visit, to see if services such as food delivery or respite services are needed.
Sun said on a TVB programme on Sunday that while low-income carers need to give at least 80 hours of care a month to receive the subsidy, that requirement will be waived in the case of hospitalisation.
"We will handle such cases with discretion - nobody's subsidy will be docked," the minister said.
"So for carers, please do not refuse to go to hospital because you worry about the hourly counts affecting your income."
Sun added that under the trial scheme, officials will check the address of the caregiver, but not the reason why he or she is hospitalised, or for how many days.
The secretary for labour and welfare also said in the long run, the government aims to build a wider net to support caregivers by extending the trial to cover recipients of other government subsidies.
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