HEALTH POLICY - SUSTAINABILITY IN PRACTICE FOR AN AGEING POPULATION
Global Health Economics Summit
July 25-26, 2016 Berlin, Germany

Sylvia Y K Fung

Tung Wah College, Hong Kong

Scientific Tracks Abstracts: Health Care: Current Reviews

Abstract:

Hong Kong has topped the world in 2015 in the longevity of her population. This brings along the heavy burden of chronic diseases and care of the lone elders. The Government of Hong Kong has a healthcare policy that �??No one in Hong Kong is deprived of medical care because of lack of means�?�. With low taxation rate and escalating elderly population, public healthcare services is facing immense pressure of accessibility. Hong Kong is spending about 6% of her Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on healthcare where the public sector contributes half of the amount, i.e. less than 3% of GDP. Sustainability of the aforementioned public healthcare policy and thus its services have a gloomy outlook. Cost effectiveness is the major element within health economics that the government and services providers are levering on. Moreover, with the change in social structure in Hong Kong from extended to nuclear familiar, Hong Kong is having a very high institutionalized rate of more than 6% among the elders. Facilitaing elders to continue residing at their domestic place could ease the financial burden of the society as well as enhancing the quality of life of the elders. The complexity and technicality of integrating social and healthcare services poses great challenge when transforming the policy of �??ageing in place�?� into practice.

Biography :

Sylvia Fung graduated as a registered nurse. She obtained her Master in Business Administration from the University of Leicester and Master in Hospital & Health Management from the University of Birmngham and was conferred the hononary doctorate from the Girne American University. She is a fellow of the Australian College of Health Services Executive and American Academy of Nursing. She has served on the Elderly Commission and as Chief Nurse of the Hospital Authority in Hong Kong. She has received the Florence Nightingale Award from the International Red Cross and the Bronze Bauhinia Star from the Hong Kong Government.

Email: fungyks@yahoo.com