Hong Kong may redefine ‘high-risk carer' after girl found in flat with dead mum
Hong Kong welfare authorities may expand the definition of 'high-risk carer' and look into providing more direct help to needy families after a three-year-old girl was found crying alone next to the body of her 40-year-old mother who was suspected to have died days earlier.
Advertisement
Undersecretary for Labour and Welfare Ho Kai-ming said on Saturday the deceased woman was not considered a high-risk carer, a category more commonly associated with older individuals caring for other elderly or people with disabilities.
'This is an isolated and heartbreaking case … The mother was in her prime and caring for a child while other family members lived nearby,' Ho said. 'Of course, we will review whether to list such cases as high-risk in the future.'
Neighbours became alarmed upon hearing the girl's cries from her public housing flat at Lok Wah North Estate in Kwun Tong on Friday, a source told the Post earlier.
They contacted estate staff for help, and the Housing Department called the girl's grandmother to help open the door, the insider said.
Advertisement
An initial examination showed the mother, who reportedly had a medical history of asthma, had died on her bed four days earlier.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
an hour ago
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong investigates 2 suspected botulism cases from injections in Shenzhen
Hong Kong health authorities are investigating the cases of two women who became unwell after receiving cosmetic botulinum toxin injections in Shenzhen, with one left in a critical condition. Advertisement The Centre for Health Protection said on Wednesday that the two women were friends and had told authorities they received the injections at a private premises in Shenzhen around the middle of last month. The women – aged 49 and 50 – said they believed the person who performed the injections was not a healthcare professional. Authorities said the 49-year-old, who was in a critical condition, began experiencing weakness, blurred vision and difficulty breathing on May 24 and was admitted to hospital in Shenzhen two days later. She returned to Hong Kong and sought medical attention at North District Hospital in Sheung Shui on May 28 due to persistent symptoms of botulism poisoning. Advertisement The woman remained in the intensive care unit as of Wednesday.
South China Morning Post
3 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
15 suspected student suicides in Hong Kong so far this year, set to surpass 2024 rate
At least 15 students in Hong Kong are suspected to have died by suicide in the first five months of this year, according to the Post's calculations, with the figure equivalent to about half of the total recorded in 2024. The education minister is set to discuss student mental health and support measures at a Legislative Council panel meeting on Friday. According to the Education Bureau's figures, primary and secondary schools reported 11 suspected suicide cases between January and April. The Post also counted four more cases in May after checking local media reports, bringing the tally up to at least 15 known incidents, or an average of three a month. The bureau earlier said that a pattern observed over the past five years suggested the number of suicides was typically higher during the periods of May to July and September to November. There were 28 student deaths by suicide in 2024, down from 32 in 2023. The figures for 2022 and 2021 were 25 each year.
South China Morning Post
4 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong police hunt for man over anthrax hoax at social welfare office
Hong Kong police are hunting for a man who fled a social welfare office after telling staff he had left anthrax on the counter. An argument erupted between a staff member and the man at the office of the Social Security Field Unit inside One Mong Kok Road Commercial Centre at about 1.10pm on Wednesday. The man placed pieces of A4-sized paper on the counter and said they contained anthrax powder. He then fled the scene. Staff evacuated the office and alerted police. Officers found no traces of the substance on the paper. The case is being investigated as 'criminal intimidation'. It is being handled by officers from the Mong Kok district investigation team. No arrests have been made.
