Latest news with #Chinesecommunity
Yahoo
01-08-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Patient, advocates worry shuttered mental health program for Toronto's Chinese community will reduce access
A Toronto woman and health advocates are worried the Chinese community will lose access to culturally sensitive mental health care after a specialized program at Toronto Western Hospital was shuttered and subsumed into a larger outpatient mental health service for underrepresented communities. But the University Health Network says the Asian Initiative in Mental Health (AIM) program hasn't shut down. Instead, it has been integrated into the larger program to provide care to more people, says Ishrat Husain, UHN's department head and program director for mental health. Joy Luk says the first time she heard AIM "had been closed" was in mid-July during an appointment with her psychiatrist, who warned her she might be switched to another physician. She says her doctor told her she could no longer access Cantonese-speaking psychotherapists, who were allegedly fired with the program's closure. While Husain confirmed there were some "staffing changes," he says patients will still have access to their psychiatrists. "I'm under great pressure, whether they'll stop my service [and] when?" Luk said. Luk says she saw more than 10 psychiatrists when she was admitted to Toronto Western in 2022 for struggles with depression. WATCH | UHN shutters mental health program that served Chinese community: She says many doctors did not understand the context of her experiences as a blind woman in her home country of Hong Kong. That all changed, she says, when she gained access to a psychiatrist who could speak Cantonese and understood the cultural nuances of the Chinese community through the AIM program. "It's so difficult to explain in English the deepest part of my mind," said Luk, who moved to Canada in 2021. "It's very important for a psychiatrist to understand the background and the underlying situation of a patient, especially, we Chinese have specific family teachings." Luk says the "one stop shop" service gave her access to Cantonese-speaking doctors, group therapies and other mental health supports, but now she's unsure how her care will change. Change meant to 'modernize' access to care: doctor UHN is hoping the change will shorten wait times for initial assessments from six months to a few weeks, says Husain. The outpatient program will have four Mandarin and Cantonese-speaking doctors, while AIM only had two, he says. "The change was to actually modernize and make our mental health program more responsive to the population that we're serving," he said. Once the program shift was announced, Husain says patients were individually contacted to answer questions and address any concerns. "Change can be difficult for a lot of folks," he said. "We've been doing outreach to patient groups, community partners, referring physicians as well to be able to, to quell some of that anxiety." Only hospital-based program for minorities in Toronto: psychiatrist But despite what Husain says about the program integration, psychiatrist Ted Lo says he considers AIM to be closed as it no longer has the same name, allegedly lost half of its staff and has left patients confused in the aftermath. Lo is with the RE-AIM coalition, a group that aims to consult with UHN to restore the program. He says UHN's response to AIM's closure is "all words." "The program that has run for 23 years has served a lot of Chinese patients, but not just serving them, but serving in a way that is culturally safe and effective," he said. AIM was the only hospital-based mental health program that served a specific minority population in Toronto, and likely all of Canada, says Lo. Josephine Wong, another member of the RE-AIM coalition, says the hospital should've consulted patients, staff and community partners prior to the change. "This kind of providing services to all is a sugar coated way to say that let's just get rid of those who cannot really voice for themselves and we just do whatever we want," she told CBC Radio's Metro Morning. Husain says UHN is happy to meet with RE-AIM to talk about their concerns, but asserts the program has "not gone away." Consultations were not held before the change as UHN felt it would have "minimal impact on patient care," he said.
Malay Mail
11-07-2025
- Business
- Malay Mail
DOSM sees Malaysia population peaking at 42m in 2059, Chinese community shrinking under 15pc, gender imbalance worsening
KUALA LUMPUR, July 11 — Malaysia's population is projected to grow significantly from 32.45 million in 2020 to 42.37 million by 2060, according to new demographic projections released by authorities. According to the Department of Statistics (DOSM), the nation will experience steady population growth with 36.49 million people expected by 2030, followed by 39.78 million in 2040 and 41.79 million in 2050. Between 2030 and 2060, Malaysia's average annual population growth rate is expected to moderate to 0.5 per cent, peaking in 2059 before starting to decline. The projection also included a significant change to the Malaysia's ethnic landscape, with the Bumiputera community's share among citizens rising from 71.8 per cent in 2030 to 79.4 per cent by 2060. The Chinese community will experience a sharp decline in proportion, dropping from 21.1 per cent of the citizen population in 2030 to just 14.8 per cent by 2060. Indians will also see their share decrease slightly from 6.3 per cent to 4.7 per cent over the 30-year projection period, while other ethnic groups will grow modestly from 0.8 per cent to 1.0 per cent. A possible contributor to the declining population post-2059 could be the accelerating gender imbalance, with the sex ratio increasing from 112 males per 100 females in 2030 to 114 males per 100 females by 2060. By 2060, Malaysia's population will comprise 19.2 million males and 17.3 million females, reflecting this demographic trend. Malaysia also faces a rapidly ageing society with the median age rising from 32.8 years in 2030 to 40.7 years in 2060, marking a significant demographic transition. The age structure will transform dramatically as the proportion of young people (0-14 years) decreases from 19.9 per cent to 16.0 per cent, while the working-age population (15-64 years) declines from 70.8 per cent to 65.7 per cent. The elderly population aged 65 and over will more than double from 9.3 per cent in 2030 to 18.3 per cent in 2060, causing the total dependency ratio to rise from 41.3 to 52.3 and placing increased pressure on the working-age population.
