Budget 2026: Hong Kong to increase elderly care vouchers, but long waiting list persists

Hong Kong is set to increase funding to boost capacity for elderly community and home care vouchers by up to 33% which could benefit more citizens but shortage of service provision remains. 

Speaking in his budget speech on Wednesday, Secretary of Finance Paul Chan Mo-po said the increase will allow 4,000 more elderly citizens to receive subsidised community care and another 1,000 people to receive discounted residential care services. 

Sze Lai-shan, deputy director of the Society for Community Organisation, welcomed the move as previous provisions could hardly meet the demand of Hong Kong elderly people’s needs. 

“But the problem of inadequate service provision remains,” Sze said, referring to service waiting time continuing to be an issue.

“The government has made significant efforts to assist the elderly but caregivers of elderly people also need support,” said Wong Lai-ying, 59, who is for her 98-year-old mother. 

Wong’s mom lives alone in Kwun Tong with a urinary catheter attached, which requires Wong to take her to the hospital twice a week for kidney check-ups. Each visit could take up four hours as she works in the Hong Kong International Airport. 

It’s the fifth year that Wong’s mom has failed to gain eligibility for residential care services. 

Last year, 14,346 applicants were on the waiting list for subsidised community care services, and 17,664 queued to enter the nursing homes that are covered by the current vouchers schemes, according to the Social Welfare Department.

According to the 2021 Population Census, 16.6% of persons aged 60 and over living in households require long-term care. 

“We hope the government can continue to increase funding for more elderly community care vouchers in order to cut down waiting time of elderly homes, ” Sze said.