Forum November 2022: Health care
The November forum looked into one of the essential needs in our daily life: health care. Not only it is important for Hong Kongers to acquire the necessary information and be able to access the health care service, but also attention should be paid on their mental health, especially some may find difficulties upon migration and adaptation to a new country.
The Welcoming Committee for Hong Kongers (WC4HK) is honoured to have Nicole Hui and Basil Wong of Hongkongers in Britain , and Jabez Lam of Hackney Chinese Community Service to share their experiences and insights with the group. Both organisations have extensive experience in supporting Hong Kongers in various areas.
Hongkongers in Britain runs “Emotion support and wellbeing advisory service” for the Hong Kong community. Nicole and Basil shared various psychological problems some Hong Kongers are experiencing when they try to adapt to life in the country after settling in. These problems arose from role change in family, securing financial status, living with extended family and other adaptation issues. Besides providing direct support to the Hong Kong community, Hongkongers in Britain also strive to inform the NHS and/or local GPs on the differences of needs of Hong Kong migrants for holistic support.
On the other hand, Jabez shared some cases of Hong Kongers facing high health charges in the country before the approval of their BN(O) visa. He talked about the importance of healthcare providers to understand the needs of the Hong Kong community. He also reminded that social care support is very often an extension of health care. Social care is outside the NHS and administered by Social Services. It is important to remember that people with no recourse to public funds are entitled to social care and support from social services.
The forum is attended by representatives from various welcoming groups across the country. The group discussed the need to inform Hong Kongers about the health care system in the UK, enhancement on language and holistic support in the short run. Additional support on the adaptation problems would also help Hong Kongers to maintain good mental health.