Latest news with #FTU
RTHK
4 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.
RTHK
27-04-2025
- Business
- RTHK
More protection needed for local workers: FTU
More protection needed for local workers: FTU The Federation of Trade Unions has made six demands in their Labour Day Declaration. Photo: RTHK Unionists said on Sunday the government needs to prioritise employment for local workers when they formulate plans to import labour. This was one of the six demands the Federation of Trade Unions put forward in their Labour Day Declaration. The union said officials need to consider the unemployment figures of different industries. 'According to government numbers, the unemployment rate in Hong Kong is 3.2 percent, but this number is worse in some industries. For example, 5.3 percent in the catering industry and five percent in the construction industry,' said the union's lawmaker Kingsley Wong. 'We hope the government will pay attention to these severe situations and take measures to ensure local workers are given priority in employment,' he added. Wong said the government should consider halting the import of foreign workers in industries with higher unemployment rates, so that it would be easier for locals to find work in those sectors. The FTU also called for legislation to protect the staff of food delivery platforms. They pointed out that riders are currently not covered by work injury protection and other labour laws because they are regarded as self-employed. Other suggestions include strengthening the Mandatory Provident Fund system, boosting construction safety protocols, as well as increasing training for local talent.
