Concern over Hong Kong’s young having to wait 17 months for mental health care
With a shortfall of 400 mental health workers in city, authorities are worried that children may be suffering irreparable damage in their early years
Children and teenagers with emotional or mental health problems have to wait up to 17 months to receive treatment at overburdened public hospitals facing a manpower shortage, a panel discussion revealed on Wednesday amid shock and concern from lawmakers.
The wait is even longer than that of adult patients, with most young sufferers queuing for 14.5 months before receiving help.
At a Legislative Council panel meeting, undersecretary for food and health Dr Chui Tak-yi said an advisory committee on mental health, chaired by former secretary for justice Wong Yan-lung, would prioritise a review on the matter.
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“The supply in the mental health care industry is not quite able to catch up with demand,” Dr Linda Yu Wai-ling, the Hospital Authority’s chief manager of integrated care programmes, said. “There are even fewer mental health experts [specialising in] children and adolescents.”
There are currently about 330 psychiatrists employed in public hospitals – 400 fewer than the number recommended by the World Health Organisation, taking into account the city’s population.
More than 32,000 children and adolescents were treated last year, of which about 12,000 were aged between 12 to 17, Yu said. Most of them have autism or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
A delay in getting treatment for over a year may cost a child valuable study time and social opportunities in their prime years, said Dr May Lam Mei-ling, director of Variety, a charity that provides free mental health treatment to children from low-income families.
Legislators from across the political spectrum urged the government to take immediate action and provide help to those affected.
