Latest news with #BillTang
RTHK
5 days ago
- Health
- RTHK
Public 'mostly unaware of new hospital fee exemptions'
Public 'mostly unaware of new hospital fee exemptions' The FTU conducted a survey, garnering over 700 responses, to gauge public understanding of the new upcoming healthcare charges. Photo: RTHK The Federation of Trade Unions (FTU) said on Friday there is an urgent need for increased public awareness of what the processes surrounding the new healthcare charges to be levied next year involve. The reforms will see fee adjustments across a spectrum of public services, including accident and emergency wards, hospital stays and consultations at specialist and family medicine outpatient clinics, phased in over three stages starting on January 1. To gauge public understanding of these changes, the FTU conducted a survey from April 22 to May 13, garnering more than 700 responses. FTU lawmaker Bill Tang said that while most respondents knew about the fee increases, very few were aware of the enhanced fee exemption mechanism, signalling a need for more promotional efforts. "The government should actively [give] them the information," he said. For example, Tang said, they give patients leaflets to clearly tell them which criteria fits the new scheme. Also, he said, "the 'HA Go' [mobile app] is now more and more welcome among patients, so 'HA Go' should be a very good way to promote the new scheme of fee exemptions. "The government should [make] good use of the network of the local medical centres and district counsellors to promote the new fee exemption scheme together." Tang said more than a million people in the SAR should qualify for the enhanced exemptions. He also urged an earlier opening of applications to align with implementation of the reforms and reduce administrative delays. He further suggested expanding automatic medical fee waivers for Old Age Living Allowance recipients aged 75 or above to those aged 65 or above, saying this would ease the processing burden on healthcare staff while extending support to more seniors.
Straits Times
07-05-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
Hong Kong loosens rules for harbour reclamation
Harbour protection was one of Hong Kong's major activist causes in the decade following the former British colony's handover to China in 1997. PHOTO: REUTERS - Hong Kong passed a law on May 7 that made it easier for the government to create new land through reclamation in the city's famed Victoria Harbour, despite objections from environmental activists. Land reclamation was central to the Chinese city's economic growth for decades, but shifting public opinion since the 1990s led to stringent legal rules that required projects to establish an 'overriding public need'. Officials called those rules 'restrictive' and proposed a Bill in 2024 to fast-track smaller projects, while also giving the city's leader more power over large-scale ones. The Bill will 'enhance harbourfront areas for public enjoyment', the development bureau said, adding that the government has no plans for large-scale reclamation in Victoria Harbour. Environmentalists had warned that the Bill would allow the city's leader – not the courts – to have the final say over whether a project satisfied the 'public need' test. The Bill was passed by Hong Kong's opposition-free legislature on May 7. Lawmaker Bill Tang said during May 7's legislative session that attempts to 'discredit the amendments' are 'spreading false narratives'. Mr Andrew Lam, another lawmaker, said: 'As long as the public has reasonable grounds (to oppose reclamation), they can apply for judicial review at any time.' Harbour protection was one of Hong Kong's major activist causes in the decade following the former British colony's handover to China in 1997. The city's top court ruled in a landmark case in 2004 that the harbour was 'a special public asset and a natural heritage of Hong Kong people' that must be protected and preserved. Beijing has cracked down on dissent in Hong Kong after huge and sometimes violent pro-democracy protests in the finance hub in 2019, and opposition lawmakers have quit or been ousted. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Hong Kong loosens rules for harbour reclamation
Hong Kong passed a law on Wednesday that made it easier for the government to create new land through reclamation in the city's famed Victoria Harbour despite objections from environmental activists. Land reclamation was central to the Chinese city's economic growth for decades but shifting public opinion since the 1990s led to stringent legal rules that required projects to establish an "overriding public need". Officials called those rules "restrictive" and proposed a bill last year to fast-track smaller projects, while also giving the city's leader more power over large-scale ones. The bill will "enhance harbourfront areas for public enjoyment", the development bureau said, adding that the government had no plans for large-scale reclamation in Victoria Harbour. Environmentalists had warned that the bill would allow the city's leader -- not the courts -- to have the final say over whether a project satisfied the "public need" test. The bill was passed by Hong Kong's opposition-free legislature on Wednesday. Lawmaker Bill Tang said during Wednesday's legislative session that attempts to "discredit the amendments" are "spreading false narratives". Andrew Lam, another lawmaker, said: "As long as the public has reasonable grounds (to oppose reclamation), they can apply for judicial review at any time." Harbour protection was one of Hong Kong's major activist causes in the decade following the former British colony's handover to China in 1997. The city's top court ruled in a landmark case in 2004 that the harbour was "a special public asset and a natural heritage of Hong Kong people" that must be protected and preserved. Beijing has cracked down on dissent in Hong Kong after huge and sometimes violent pro-democracy protests in the finance hub in 2019, and opposition lawmakers have quit or been ousted. twa-hol/pbt
France 24
07-05-2025
- Business
- France 24
Hong Kong loosens rules for harbour reclamation
Land reclamation was central to the Chinese city's economic growth for decades but shifting public opinion since the 1990s led to stringent legal rules that required projects to establish an "overriding public need". Officials called those rules "restrictive" and proposed a bill last year to fast-track smaller projects, while also giving the city's leader more power over large-scale ones. The bill will "enhance harbourfront areas for public enjoyment", the development bureau said, adding that the government had no plans for large-scale reclamation in Victoria Harbour. Environmentalists had warned that the bill would allow the city's leader -- not the courts -- to have the final say over whether a project satisfied the "public need" test. The bill was passed by Hong Kong's opposition-free legislature on Wednesday. Lawmaker Bill Tang said during Wednesday's legislative session that attempts to "discredit the amendments" are "spreading false narratives". Andrew Lam, another lawmaker, said: "As long as the public has reasonable grounds (to oppose reclamation), they can apply for judicial review at any time." Harbour protection was one of Hong Kong's major activist causes in the decade following the former British colony's handover to China in 1997. The city's top court ruled in a landmark case in 2004 that the harbour was "a special public asset and a natural heritage of Hong Kong people" that must be protected and preserved. Beijing has cracked down on dissent in Hong Kong after huge and sometimes violent pro-democracy protests in the finance hub in 2019, and opposition lawmakers have quit or been ousted.
