Media

In 2022, a total of 61,557 people passed away in Hong Kong. There are various medical and care options available for terminally ill patients. However, as patients approach the last stage of their life, they may not be in a position to make decisions or communicate their wishes; family members may not reach a consensus, which can add to the pressure and emotional distress felt.

It is important to make early preparations for care plans in order to respect patients’ wishes and facilitate effective communication and discussions among the patients, family members and healthcare teams on the most suitable care plan. The Government of the Hong Kong SAR recently gazetted the “Advance Decision on Life-Sustaining Treatment Bill” which aims to put in place a legislative framework for providing holistic end-of-life care services for patients and their families. This includes an Advance Medical Directive (AMD), an important measure to respect patients’ choices and enhance their quality of life during their final days.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust approved funding of around HK$520 million to initiate the “Jockey Club End-of-Life Community Care Project” (JCECC Project). Launched in 2016, the ten-year project aims to improve the quality of end-of-life care, enhance the capacity of service providers and raise public awareness. The Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Hong Kong (HKU), one of the project partners, has also been responsible for evaluation of the JCECC Project and for conducting a community-wide survey on end-of-life care in Hong Kong.

HKU engaged Social Policy Research Limited to conduct the survey between July and October 2023. It aimed to understand Hong Kong citizens’ knowledge, attitude and intentions regarding end-of-life care, Advance Care Planning and Advance Medical Directive. The telephone survey with random sampling interviewed a total of 1,506 Hong Kong citizens aged 18 or above. The results of the survey will be announced at a press conference on January 16. In addition, the JCECC Project’s hospital partner, service recipient and case manager will share their experiences and insights in establishing the Advance Medical Directive.

Media representatives are invited to join the event. Details are as follows:

Date：January 16, 2024 (Tuesday)
Time：10:30am (Registration time for media: 10am)
Venue：Social Sciences Function Room, 11/F, The Jockey Club Tower, Centennial Campus, The University of Hong Kong (Map)
Speakers：
1. Ms. Imelda Chan
Head of Charities (Healthy Community) of The Hong Kong Jockey Club
2. Professor Amy Chow
Project Director, JCECC, and Head of Department of Social Work and Social Administration, Faculty of Social Sciences, The University of Hong Kong
3. Dr. Wong Che-keung
Associate Consultant, Medicine and Geriatric Department of Ruttonjee and Tang Shiu Kin Hospital, Hong Kong East Cluster, Hospital Authority
4. Ms. Ho Ying-ying
Project Manager, JCECC “Life Rainbow” End-of-Life Care Services of The Hong Kong Society for Rehabilitation
5. Ms. Yau
Service recipient, JCECC “Life Rainbow” End-of-Life Care Services of The Hong Kong Society for Rehabilitation

For media enquiries, please contact
Mr. Alan Tang, Faculty of Social Sciences, HKU (Tel: 3917 1260 / 6023 6711; email: alantsl@hku.hk).