Guangdong Scheme

80.     We will introduce a new “Guangdong Scheme” under the Social Security Allowance Scheme to provide an old age allowance for eligible Hong Kong elderly people who choose to reside in Guangdong.  The rate will be the same as that for the local Old Age Allowance (OAA) in Hong Kong.  Upon approval, recipients will be able to receive a full-year allowance in Guangdong without the need to come back to Hong Kong.  The Labour and Welfare Bureau will shortly announce the key features.  The Guangdong Scheme is based on four special considerations.  First, currently Hong Kong elderly people settled in the Mainland mostly live in Guangdong.  Second, there are especially close ties between Guangdong and Hong Kong in many aspects.  Third, given the policies under the Hong Kong/Guangdong Co-operation Framework and with the completion of a number of major transport infrastructure projects, the two places will become more closely integrated and travel will be more convenient.  Lastly, local elderly people who have moved to Guangdong can still maintain close contact with their relatives and friends here and obtain family support easily.

Medical Support in the Mainland

81.     Apart from financial means and living environment, access to medical services is another consideration for senior citizens when deciding whether to settle in the Mainland.  The liberalisation measures for the medical sector under the Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) allow Hong Kong medical practitioners to practise or set up clinics or hospitals in the Mainland.  In this way, senior citizens residing there may also receive Hong Kong-style medical services.  The first hospital jointly established by the University of Hong Kong and the Shenzhen authorities will come into operation early next year.  We will continue to strengthen co-operation between hospitals in Hong Kong and the Mainland, and negotiate with the Mainland measures to streamline the formalities for setting up clinics and hospitals there.  We will also explore with Guangdong the cross-boundary patient conveyance arrangements to make it more convenient for Hong Kong patients residing in the Mainland to return to Hong Kong for medical treatment.

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