There is a continuous flow of immigrants in Hong Kong, most of whom are young families leaving their elderly parents behind to live in Hong Kong. Some old pals are also considering moving to the Mainland to make it easier for them to join their relatives and friends there, and to reduce the cost of living, as well as to adapt to the food culture more easily. Although the cost of living in the Mainland has dropped, many old pals are worried that medical expenses will increase as they get older. Siu-kuen is one of the examples.
Siu Kuen retired about a year ago and used to live with her husband in an HOS flat in Fanling. Their daughter has long been married and they have two male grandchildren. Her daughter's family emigrated to Canada two years ago, leaving her and her husband alone. Unexpectedly, her husband contracted lymphoma after her retirement, and it was only when he was diagnosed with the disease that she realized he was in the terminal stage. Although she knew that her husband had terminal cancer, she still spent all her pension and savings to pay for his expensive medical bills. Despite this, her husband died of the disease.
The only one left behind is Siu-kuen, who lives alone in Hong Kong. With no one to turn to, Siu-kuen remembers her cousin in Shenzhen, with whom she keeps in touch in her spare time.
"My partner's death was a great shock to me. Although I had foreseen this day, it was hard to accept when it really happened. I used my savings and pension to find the best doctors and hospitals to treat her, but in the end she passed away. In the end, he passed away. I have to go back to the HOS, and I rely on the Old Age Living Allowance (OALA) for my living.
Everything is expensive in Hong Kong, and it's a good thing that I don't have to drive to pay the rent, so I have a roof over my head, but it's boring to be in my house all day long, facing the four walls. In the past, I used to have some workmates to get together with, but they have all left as they get older, and with my partner gone and my daughter's family not in Hong Kong, I feel quite lonely. So many people around me have left because of illness. Apart from the boredom of life, I started to worry about who will take care of me if I get sick in the future. Who will have the money to pay for my medical bills?
Sometimes I moan with my cousin in Shenzhen, who sees that I am alone in Hong Kong and have no one to depend on, and advises me to emigrate to Shenzhen, so that I can at least have them to take care of me. They have a family of 4 living in Shenzhen, and my cousin is a housewife, so she has a nice room for me to live in.
At first, I was a bit reluctant to go to Shenzhen, but after thinking about it, I have to plan for myself. At least I will have a cousin to look after me in Shenzhen, so I will have someone to notify my daughter in case anything happens, but I have also thought about the medical aspect, will it be more expensive to see a doctor in Shenzhen? I have health care vouchers in Hong Kong, but I don't know what to expect when I go to Shenzhen. My cousin knew that I was worried about this, so she helped me to look for information on the internet to find out if there are any elderly living subsidies in Shenzhen, and she found a facebook post by the name of Shun Yu, which said that Hong Kong people can use their healthcare cards in Shenzhen! When my cousin saw that I had a lot of questions, she suggested that I should call her and ask her directly.
So I called to ask about the use of medical cards for Hong Kong residents in Shenzhen, and the staff at Sunyu were very nice and explained it to me slowly. It turns out that starting from April 17, elderly people can use their Hong Kong healthcare vouchers to visit outpatient doctors at the Huawei Lai Chi Yuen Community Health Service Center of The University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Hospital.
If I really want to use the vouchers, I don't need to pre-register because the vouchers are issued and used through the e-platform, so as long as I meet the eligibility criteria, I can bring along my valid Hong Kong Identity Card or Certificate of Exemption when I arrive!
I looked at the address of the Huawei Lai Chi Yuen Community Health Service Center of The University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Hospital, which is on the 1st floor of the podium of Block 8 of Huawei Yangmei Staff Quarters at Fahua Road, Bantian Street, Longgang District, Shenzhen City, 15 minutes away from my cousin's house, and I was immediately convinced that the service would not cover every medical service. However, I was reminded by Sunyu's staff that not every medical service is covered, such as hospitalization, simple purchases, medication, medical equipment and supplies, etc., and of course, cash cannot be exchanged.
When I realized that I could use the vouchers in Shenzhen, I felt relieved immediately. I could migrate to Shenzhen without any worries and continue to use the vouchers. I am really thankful to the staff of Sunyu for explaining to me slowly and solving my personal problems, I am really thankful to them!
In recent years, many of our elderly friends are considering moving to the Mainland, but are worried about social welfare issues. If any of your friends are in the same situation, please feel free to contact us and we will try our best to answer their questions so that they can enjoy their old age without any worries.
You are welcome to leave your comments about Sunyu Academy. Whether you have any questions about the content of this article, want to know more about home services that are relevant to you, or want to give your support and encouragement to Sunyu Academy, as well as your passion to be the sunshine of Sunyu Academy, please do not hesitate to leave a message! We will get back to you as soon as possible within working days, thank you!
