Latest news with #OurHongKongFoundation
South China Morning Post
10-07-2025
- Health
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong can save HK$90,000 per patient with better end-of-life care: think tank
Hong Kong can save more than HK$90,000 (US$11,470) per patient in medical expenses if the city provided better measures to allow more residents to receive support and die at home or in care facilities, a local think tank has said, calling on the government to develop a plan framework for people in their last days. Advertisement Our Hong Kong Foundation on Thursday released a research report on end-of-life care and proposed five key recommendations in stepping up support to allow dying patients to spend their days outside hospitals. 'If we have a comprehensive end-of-life care system, it could help reduce the usage of hospital services,' said Ryan Ip Man-ki, vice-president of the foundation. If the city adopted the model allowing dying patients to be managed outside the hospital, the healthcare system could save HK$91,460 per individual on their medical expenses, the foundation said, citing data from an ongoing Hong Kong Jockey Club programme supporting end-of-life care in the community. The Jockey Club programme was found to help reduce hospitalisation by 11.91 days, accident and emergency admissions by 0.95 times, and intensive care unit stays by 0.29 days. Advertisement Hong Kong was working towards giving dying patients more choices in their medical care. Last year, the city passed legislative amendments in which residents who died in residential care homes for the elderly and met other criteria were no longer required to be reported to the coroner's court. Legislation was also passed in 2024 to legally empower patients to state their medical care wishes on their last days in advance directives.
South China Morning Post
07-07-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Retail rents in Hong Kong under pressure after vacancy rate hits 4½-year high
Retail rents in Hong Kong are expected to remain under pressure, as the trend of residents travelling to the mainland for leisure has led many businesses to opt for short-term leases, experts have said after the vacancy rate in the city's busiest districts hit a 4½-year high. Advertisement Analysts on Monday also attributed the mounting vacancies to shifting consumer preferences and the difficulty landlords faced in securing high-value tenants once luxury goods shops, such as watch and jewellery stores, had moved out. Property agency Midland IC&I's index earlier showed that about 900 stores were empty in four core districts – Causeway Bay, Central, Tsim Sha Tsui and Mong Kok – reflecting a vacancy rate of 12.1 per cent in the first quarter of this year, the highest level in 4½ years. 'The vacancy rate is relatively high. Additionally, the trend of northbound travel among Hongkongers has shown no signs of slowing down. In these past months, the figures for northbound travel have set new records,' Ryan Ip Man-ki, vice-president of Our Hong Kong Foundation and executive director of the Public Policy Institute, said on a radio show. 'It seems that the vacancy rate and rent of retail spaces, in particular street-level stores, will continue to be under pressure.' Advertisement A slew of established restaurants and shops have shut down in recent months, with some citing high rents amid an economic slowdown as the main reason.
RTHK
26-06-2025
- Business
- RTHK
65pc of National Games tickets to be for public sale
65pc of National Games tickets to be for public sale A real-name registration system will be in place for ticket sales, which will be released in batches. Tickets for this year's National Games will be sold in phases, with at least 65 percent of seats at the various venues to be made available for public sale, according to event organisers. Guangdong sports bureau director Cui Jian said the Games in November, which will be co-hosted by Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau for the very first time, will adopt a single ticketing platform for all three regions. He said a real-name registration system will be in place for ticket sales, which will be released in batches. "Both domestic and international audiences can purchase tickets online by registering through the official ticketing website, mobile app and online official sales channels," Cui said. "Alternatively, tickets can be bought in person at authorised offline ticket agencies, service points or venue box offices. "The offline official ticketing agencies and service points will be strategically arranged in cities hosting the 15th National Games and the National Special Olympic Games, creating a ticket sales network that covers the entire country." Cui said the Games will be the largest ever in its history and that the total number of tickets sold is expected to approach or exceed that for the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2022. He said ticket prices are expected to be announced by September at the earliest. In response to the announcement, Kenny Shui, vice president of Our Hong Kong Foundation, said in a statement that he welcomes a unified ticketing platform as it would enhance purchasing efficiency and allow organisers to analyse data on purchasing trends, enabling better assessments of market demand and audience preferences. He also said the new model would standardise ticketing across Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau, laying a foundation for a future ticket sales network in the Greater Bay Area.
South China Morning Post
17-06-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong businesses, social groups create platform to plan for ‘silver economy'
Hong Kong businesses, social groups, a major bank and a think tank have jointly set up a platform to devise initiatives to make the city more elderly-friendly through the nurturing of a 'silver economy'. Advertisement The Alliance of Silver Economy Development was launched on Tuesday and aims to encourage collaboration between companies and social organisations. Alliance convenor and lawmaker Chan Hok-fung said local stakeholders had yet to come together to align and implement silver economy strategies, with the new platform aiming to connect all the sectors involved. 'Working with organisations such as Our Hong Kong Foundation, which focuses on research, while the alliance helps unite different stakeholders and initiate concrete and on-the-ground actions, could help push the silver economy,' he said after signing a collaboration memorandum with the foundation. The alliance features representatives from various sectors, such as the Bank of China (Hong Kong), the Hong Kong Council of Social Service, the Hong Kong Federation of Restaurants and Related Trades, the Our Hong Kong Foundation think tank and several lawmakers. Advertisement Government data showed the spending of people aged 60 and above reached HK$342 billion (US$43.6 billion) in 2024, accounting for 11 per cent of the city's gross domestic product, with the figure expected to rise. Ryan Ip Man-ki, vice-president of Our Hong Kong Foundation's Public Policy Institute, said the think tank expected more aggressive growth than the government's prediction that such spending would reach HK$496 billion in 2034.
RTHK
19-05-2025
- General
- RTHK
Think tank unveils app for Putonghua learning
Think tank unveils app for Putonghua learning Our Hong Kong Foundation's Academy of Chinese Studies worked with Tencent Foundation on the Putonghua learning scheme. Photo: RTHK A local think tank announced on Monday that it has rolled out a project aimed at enhancing the Putonghua level of primary and secondary students through the use of an AI-powered mobile app and offline activities. "Putonghua Funlearning" is a collaboration between Our Hong Kong Foundation's Academy of Chinese Studies and Tencent Foundation. It is free for schools to participate in the scheme. Eddie Heung, a senior manager at the academy, said schools told them they didn't have enough hours each week to teach the language. "They believe that there's a trend to let the students to have Putonghua learning in some funnier ways, instead of just some normal lectures at school," he said. "So the app 'Putonghua Funlearning' introduces some games which have colourful graphics and strategic planning to let the students have some new ways to learn Putonghua." Heung said the app offers instant feedback on users' pronunciation, and students can also earn points in games. A five-day online challenge for primary school students in Hong Kong and Macau will be held next month. The 40 children with the highest marks on the app will be invited to participate in an exchange tour in the Greater Bay Area in October to interact with students on the mainland.
